Ars Moriendi
by kaitech
Summary: The accident left him scarred for life. Now, 10 years later, will he somehow be able to find light once more in a world he could only view in darkness? Persona 3 Novelization with Social Links. [Re-writing: 6/10]
1. Arrival

_The sudden explosion..._

He could see a dark silhouette standing at the end of the island's side of the bridge. He couldn't see it clearly in this green light but it was large and menacing, and felt not entirely human. It was as if someone had cut out a part of an eerily starless night in the shape of a giant man and placed it there. It felt wrong.

_The resulting crash..._

His ribs were broken in several places and threatened to pierce his lungs with each gulp of breath. His short legs lay awkwardly sprawled on the cold, cold asphalt beaneath him. His left eye, caved in, with blood flowing freely over it from the open wound on his forehead.

_The arrested screams..._

Cars lay smoking everywhere in dead silence. Almost no one survived the accident, but the few who did were too injured and too afraid to even move. They were all aware of the dark figure's presence at the end of the bridge. Looming over them. Coming closer. And they all felt that to show any signs of remaining life would only invite Death.

_...it was just all too much for a child to endure._

After what felt like an eternity, he started crying softly for his parents. His voice was small and cracked. But in that palpable silence, it was a deafening scream for all who heard - a small flame that appeared like a bright beacon on the dark, lifeless sea of that dreadful, dreadful night.

Yet only the darkness gave him a reply.

* * *

**_Time knows not to wait._**

* * *

He awoke with a start, cold sweat dripping down his forehead and neck despite the AC's constant blast of cold air. Slowly, he raised his head to survey his surrroundings. There was no one else inside the train car, which was no surprise, he thought. Few people take the midnight train nowadays. Less so after an incident.

_Train service today is significantly delayed due to a fatal accident._

_We apologize to any customers who were in a hurry._

_The next stop is Iwatodai..._

Fatal. Accident.

The evening papers were all over that bit of news despite the lack of information, and witness accounts were too few because the police were still interrogating anyone present at that time, considering it only happened that afternoon. At least the trains were still allowed to operate quickly after that. A suicide in the tracks was rather serious business after all.

Raising a pale hand, the train car's lone passenger wiped the sweat underneath his blue-black hair, and wondered how it was like to be crushed by an oncoming train at full speed. He imagined it to be painless - at least if he died as soon as he got hit - for which there was only the darkness.

The explosion, the crash, the screams.

He had that dream again. He's had it for years, true, but he's been seeing it frequently these days. He wondered why. Perhaps this was what they called the first day jitters. Although it had never occurred to him that he was capable of such a thing. Then again, he was transferring to a new school after all - the first school he's ever going to attend since leaving Japan. There's a first for everything, he thought. Maybe he still wasn't used to the idea of living away from his grandparents. Not after ten years.

_Iwatodai._

_This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island._

_Please take care to board before our departure._

The blue-haired boy, nudged from his musings, blinked at the speakers before realizing the train doors were already opened. Slinging his duffel pack over his shoulders, he adjusted his MP3 player and reflexively increased the volume while exiting the train.

Not much people on the platform as well. In fact, aside from him, there were only three other people who seemed to have gotten off the train: a middle-aged man in a business suit, a younger man who was also in a business suit, and some guy in a hooded sweatshirt. None of which were particularly interesting, so the boy walked on.

Passing the turnstiles, he reached inside his jacket to retrieve a folded pamphlet. Unfolding it revealed the directions for arriving at his hastily assigned dormitory. To think the school had not yet organized his accomodations until the last minute despite being the one's who invited him to study there in the first place, the boy frowned. He glanced at the paper for a moment before replacing it into his pocket and motioned for the exit, his footsteps in time with the ticking of the station's clock as it approached midnight.

_Tick, tock, clip, clop..._

The long hand struck the final second of the day as he took his first step into Iwatodai. But the moment his feet touched the asphalt sidewalk, everything died as the world was bathed in an eerie green glow.

* * *

**AFTERWORD: **(05.10.17) This chapter has been rewritten. Please read, review, criticize. Cheers.


	2. Dormitory

"How is the boy?"

A blue-haired boy lying in bed opened his eyes a crack at the sound of a gruff voice from behind the divider. Taking the fact that this was a private hospital room with him the only patient within, the question most undoubtedly referred to him. So he listened as a younger man's voice replied.

"Well, aside from his left eye, three broken leg bones, four broken ribs, and a fractured arm, he's... uh, well he's fine. Seeing that he's mostly healed anyway.

There was what seemed like an awkward pause, and then a cough.

"I mean, considering that he's alive and not d-"

"Yes, I know what you meant. But that's not what I was asking _you_ for."

"Ah, yes. Well..."

Another pause, this time accompanied by the sound of shuffling papers as the doctor - or at least whom the boy believed to be the doctor - presumably consulted his medical records.

"Apparently, there's nothing much to be said. His emotional state seems remarkably stable considering what he's been through. He hasn't exhibited any forms of post-traumatic seizures and has kept control over all his other faculties intact.

A third pause.

"There is the question, however, of his memory and well, resulting... personality."

"Issues with his memory, you say?," the gruff voice asked.

"Yes, he uh...

Hearing this, the boy in question turned his head towards the voices hoping to sneak a peek at the two men talking. But the divider obstructed most of his view, yet he could make out the back of a man with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a white lab coat with the sleeves folded up to his elbows, standing by the foot of his bed. He assumed this to be the doctor.

"It would seem that he has no memory of the past seven years of his life. Or at least nothing certain. From what the others have gathered, he could only piece out fragments here and there. A scent, an object, a feeling; nothing more. But...

More shuffling of papers.

"He has retained his speech and writing abilities, at least enough of it for him to remain functional. Socially, I mean. As well as other, hmm... muscle memories? I'm not particularly sure what they mean by that."

"So he doesn't remember anything," a statement, "Not the accident? Not his family or... his friends?"

"Apparently none. They've tried showing him pictures of likely significant people in his life but the results state that he recognizes none of them. Even photographs where he himself is present. Actually, results have shown that he doesn't even recognize himself in the pictures."

Yet again a pause, then a gruff sigh.

"And his personality? What about it?"

"There's none left to speak of."

The boy in bed frowned. No personality he says, he thought. Surprisingly, where one would feel insulted, the boy felt nothing at all. He was curious, yes, on what that statement implied about his mental condition. But he found it hard for himself to care about it.

"What do you mean, no personality?," the gruff voice asked as quietly as he could maintain. The boy noted a hint of anger in the question.

"He's unemotional. No qualms, no questions. He's absolutely obedient in everything the doctors and assessors ask of him. It's like he doesn't care one way or another what they do to him. As if he no longer cared if he was..."

_Alive._

The boy continued the sentence in his thoughts and wondered if it were true. He reflected if he truly did not mind death, and instead imagined that it would probably be similar to sleeping. A slumber with no waking end. Maybe it wasn't so bad.

"Do you think he's afflicted with it?," said the gruff voice apparently taken aback.

"Apathy Syndrome? No. His results are different from the symptoms we know. I believe what he's suffering is something more... tragic. Al-though...

At this, the man with the ponytail turned slightly to glance at the blue-haired seven-year-old boy who was lying in bed and quietly listening to the current conversation. A single dark brown eye met a pair of greys and for a moment stayed that way. But the man soon returned to the conversation.

"It could be only temporary. Maybe his memory lost is his mind's way of protecting itself from the trauma of the accident. A sort of defense mechanism, if you will. And once his mental state has been healed, he might return to the old Makoto everybody knew and loved."

"Do you actually believe that?"

"It's too soon to say that his situation is permanent. At least you have that to look forward to."

"I see," a sigh and then, "I guess that'll be all."

After a minute-long pause, the boy heard the sound of footsteps and the sliding open of a door before, "Oh, and Shuji," the gruff voice said from the doorway.

"Yes, Takeharu-san?," the man called Shuji asked, also from the doorway.

"Make sure the boy's well taken care of."

"I understand."

The lights went out as two pairs of footsteps exited the room, sliding the door close behind them. The blue-haired boy breathed a sigh and directed his grey eyes towards the window to his right.

He was now alone.

With only the moonlight to keep him company.

And he kept staring at the moon even after everything had turned green.

* * *

**_Shadows crawl-_**

* * *

The young man with blue-black hair stopped in his tracks as the world shifted.

The street lights became extinguished, the few cars passing by had their engines shut down, and the handful of people walking transformed into coffins right before his very eyes. Also, his MP3 player died halfway through a song he actually liked.

He looked up at the large green moon above his head, noting that it was almost full. Then he continued walking, as though nothing out of the ordinary has changed.

_Splish, splash..._

His feet went as he walked on a puddle of blood, which a moment ago was a puddle of rainwater, while crossing the street.

_Hfaa, fuu..._

His breathing went as he paced himself to conserve stamina for what he knew was going to be a long walk to his accommodations.

_Click, clack..._

His MP3 player sounded hitting against the buttons of his jacket as it swayed side to side in time with his stride. The clip-on earphones still over his ears even though they've been rendered virtually useless.

But it was all he could do to block out the screams.

As he reached an intersection, he took out once again the directions for his dorm and consulted it as best he can in the current lighting. After determining the path he should continue, a loud shriek came up from very close behind him. He tightened his grip on the piece of paper in his hands but resumed his trek nonetheless. Looking back not even once as the scream reached a crescendo and disappeared.

Not that he was bothered much, he just didn't enjoy listening to the screams.

Soon, he arrives at his destination. It was a decent affair. About four floors as far as he could tell, and very sturdy-looking, even new. One curious thing he noticed though was the fact that the lights inside the building seemed to be lit.

He takes the steps and easily opened the front door.

"You're late."

The young man looked to his left to see a small pale boy behind the lobby's counter. The boy's bright blue eyes looking up at him with profound interest, and a trace of familiarity. He raised his head of faded black hair and propped it on his left arm as though he was bored, "I've been waiting a long time for you.

"Now if you want to proceed...," he snapped the fingers on his right hand.

"Please sign your name _there_."

The young man blinked as he saw that the boy was no longer behind the counter and that a red notebook, a quill, and a bottle of ink now lay atop its surface. Instead, the boy was now standing in front of him wearing a black-and-white-striped pajamas and sandals, the likes convicted prisoners wore.

"It's a contract. Don't worry, all it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

Turning his grey eyes back to the notebook, he took the quill and started writing his name. Makoto Yuki, he wrote. Above his signature were the words I chooseth this fate of mine own free will. After he was done, he closed the notebook and handed it over to the child.

All this he did unquestioningly, almost mechanical. For one thing he learned so far in his life was that it was easier to go with the flow. No questions, no qualms. No desires, no expectations. And no profound concept of self-preservation. Whatever it is that's going to happen will, inevitably, happen. There was no use defying fate, if indeed it existed.

"True," the boy murmured hugging the red notebook to his chest as if in affirmation to these thoughts, "No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away. Even if you plug your ears and cover your eyes," he raised the contract to cover his right eye and then turned it so that it was perpendicular to both boys' sights. But as he lowered his hand, Makoto found the contract was no longer there.

"And so it begins."

The blue-haired boy turned his head to the side as the lounge was plunged into half-darkness. But then he noticed that the child was no longer with him, apparently disappearing the same moment as the lights.

For a second, the first time in ten years, he felt restless. It was unlike the feeling of nervousness he imagined he had had earlier that evening in the train. No. Something about the boy, now that he was gone, reminded him of a memory. Or at least the feeling that there is an actual memory to be had but couldn't, for the life of him, retrieve. A green haze clouded his mind as it always did when trying to recall anything from his childhood. Anything from before ten years ago. A grimace formed on his normally expressionless face.

"Who's there?"

A female voice pulled him from the haze in time to see a young woman in a pink cardigan warily looking at him from the foot of the staircase. He blinked and stared at this girl with steely eyes, unperturbed to the fact that she probably saw him as an intruder. Or worst.

He studied her stance and in doing would know how best to react. He saw that it was a standard reflex when faced with potential danger: knees bent, upper body leaning forward, left arm hovering in front of her chest, and right arm positioned close to her leg. His gaze followed her arm where he saw a gun strapped to her thigh. At that moment, the girl seemed to have found her resolve to take action and made a move to grab the gun.

"Takeba, wait!"

But before she could remove it from the holster, another female voice came down the stairs. And as it did, the world shifted once more as everything returned to their natural light.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late," said the redheaded newcomer to the boy, her steely gaze eyeing him warily, "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. And this is Yukari Takeba," gesturing towards the girl in the cardigan as she reached the bottom of the stairs, "We're students who live in this dorm."

Makoto stared in answer.

The girl in the pink cardigan, Yukari Takeba, had short light-brown hair and was shorter than him. He noted that her frame was slender but her arms seemed strong, and that she was above-average in looks. Not that he was all that interested in such things beyond mere observation.

The redhead, Mitsuru Kirijo, however was more well-endowed with a pale yet healthy complexion. Her vibrant hair ended in curls on her shoulder and covered half of her face in what the boy thought to be a femme fatale manner. He noted that the tight skirt fitted her well, suggesting that she must be active in some physical activity to keep such a figure. He also noticed her knee-high boots were of an expensive brand thus deducing her financial background to be high class. A queen if he ever saw one. And he has.

He also noted that for some reason they were both wearing what seemed to be Gekkoukan uniforms even though the start of class wasn't until tomorrow, and that it was currently midnight. There's also the matter of the guns: one strapped to her thigh, the other around her waist. But to make sense of things, he instead assumed that they truly were the welcoming party, and dismissed the guns as bluffs for perhaps intruders. The front door of the dorm _was_ unlocked after all.

"Makoto Yuki," the blue-haired boy finally said as if being held at gunpoint was the standard way of welcoming a fellow dormer. "Nice to meet you," he continued in a monotone, bowing slightly to both girls, and wondering if he somehow got mixed up in the girls' dorm.

"Uhm... nice to meet you, too...," the pink cardigan replied, "So he's the transfer student?," she asked the redhead beside her as if she still couldn't believe that the abnormally calm blue hair was going to live with them from now on.

"Yes. It was actually a last minute decision to assign him here," the redhead replied, "But once admissions have sorted out his papers then he'd eventually be moved to a room in the boys' dorm. So it's only temporary.

"Nevertheless you are now a resident here for the time being and it's getting late," the redhead continued this time addressing the blue hair, "All your belongings are already up in your room. Takeba shall show you the way."

Realizing that it was now probably safe to move without worrying about guns in the hands of teenage girls, fake or not, Makoto started to motion for the stairs. But as he focused his gaze in front of him, he caught the redhead's scarlet eyes.

They appear to be looking at him coldly - not with any ill intent but more like a sense that she was being guarded. He understands if she's wary of him, he is a newcomer after all, yet underneath all that feeling of slight animosity towards him, there was what felt like...

Concern?

Contemplating on this as he and the girl called Takeba climbed the staircase to the second floor hallway, Makoto only then fully realized the implications of the redhead's name. She said Kirijo, he thought.

Perhaps it was mere coincidence that a Kirijo would live in the same dorm, no matter if only temporary. Perhaps it was chance. Or perhaps it was fate. Either way, he was not one to question such developments.

* * *

**AFTERWORD:** This chapter has been slightly rewritten from the original.


	3. Gekkoukan

-It's been exactly a year now.

-Yes, it has.

-They've come to take him away.

-Yes, they have.

-Do you think it's wise?

-Wise? I think it's right.

-What makes you say that?

-They're his family.

-And they're moving away.

-So? Wouldn't it be better for all?

-Including the boy?

-What do you mean?

-He grew up _here_, not abroad.

"And how did that help so far?," the man with an eye-patch over his right eye turned around to meet the eyes of the young man behind him, barely containing his frustration, "It's been a year of hoping that if we exposed him to the things he used to do, to the people he used to know that he'll remember. A year of praying that if he took it slowly he'll heal. A year of waiting for a boy who's never coming back!"

"You don't know that," was the only retort of the young man at the sudden outburst, his long brown hair being blown back by the spring breeze which carried with it the smell of incense.

The older man could only scoff at this reply as he walked closer to his friend, the grass rustling beneath his feet. "Do you actually still believe he'll remember?"

"Yes," the younger man simply said, "And I know I'm not the only one, Takeharu."

Takeharu Kirijo looked for a moment into the pair of dark brown eyes of the younger man, yet soon averted his gaze. He knew it to be true. They were all hoping the boy would return - them both. He had already lost his father; lost their best friend and his wife; and now... The boy survived, yet he might as well have died. But there was one other person who wished it more than anyone else. There was one person who'd pray ceaselessly to the heavens every single day that the boy be healed. There was one person who put the most effort hoping that the boy remembers. One other person who still believes her friend would come back. And it only hurt him to see her suffer any longer.

"She's been hurt enough," was all Kirijo could say.

"But she'd want him here," came the other's reply, "where there's a better chance he'd be able to get his memories back. Not in some city abroad where he's never gone."

"You don't understand, Shuji," there was a look of sadness in his eyes despite the severity of his face because of the eye-patch, "She's been hurt enough.

"She doesn't know that I'm aware of it but I've seen her. Every night she'd cry herself to sleep. Then every morning she'd wake up, telling herself that today's going to be the day. _Today, Makkun comes back home._ And then she'd return to her room at sundown and cry some more. Don't you see how much she's suffered this past year?! She's only eight, godammit!"

The wind infused with incense came over them again. The petals of cherry blossoms swirled about their feet, dancing with the grass. The leaves of the trees made whispering sounds as if voicing out the depressing thoughts, the growing fears, and the withering hopes of the two men standing in the middle of the almost deserted cemetery.

"It's not just about Makoto-kun is it?," spoke Ikutsuki in a quiet voice.

"No," Kirijo replied, feeling spent from letting lose his anger, "Not anymore."

"I heard what happened."

"I knew you would."

"She awakened to the power of Persona."

"Yes," although it was not a question, Kirijo could not find anything else to say. He fought the tears as he remembered the events of that night. The shadow, the gunshots, the near contact with death, and then Mitsuru. His daughter had exhibited an incredible amount of power that night. He could still hear her words ringing in his ears.

_Don't worry, Father. I chose this for myself. I'll protect you, Father. I can't lose you, too..._

Ikutsuki could only look on at the sight of his friend in tears. As much as he didn't want the boy, Makoto, to go abroad far away from Iwatodai, they should probably accept the fact that his is a lost cause. The boy they knew was gone. It wouldn't have been much of a problem if he had still retained his cheerfulness, his mischief. If so then they would have just created new memories with him. But Makoto was gone. What remained wasn't even a shell.

"If it is your wish, then so be it," Ikutstuki finally said, breaking the silence, "Give them custody of the boy. If you think that'll help you and your daughter, and that it would also be best for the boy, then so be it."

"Shuji."

And there the matter ended.

A hundred meters away, at a gravestone covered with fresh bouquets of flowers and a lit incense, was a boy with blue-black hair. The wind ruffled his hair as he stood in front of where the remains of his supposed parents lay. He could not remember them. Though he was told that after this day, he would be moving far away so he figured he might as well come visit them one last time.

Behind him was an elderly man dressed in a black, pin-striped suit. The man placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's time, my boy."

* * *

**_You get what anybody gets - you get a lifetime_  
**

* * *

"Hah!"

His sword whistled as it cut through the air in front of him.

"Hah!"

His feet whispered as they slid across the tiled masonry.

"Hah!"

His eyes shouted as his arms cried for a reprieve.

"Hah!"

But it wasn't until he struck down for the fiftieth swing that he finally lowered his shinai.

Standing up straight with his weight on both feet, he placed the bamboo sword in his left hand with the tip facing the floor. He stood there a moment as he caught his breath, sweat dripping down all over his body, drenching his hakama. This was one of the few moments he actually felt undoubtedly alive.

"Hey, Makoto!"

At the sound of his name, the blue-haired boy turned around to see a silver-haired young man standing by the entrance to the rooftop. His name was Akihiko Sanada, a high school senior, and they only just met an hour ago as Makoto was on his way to the roof wearing his hakama and carrying his shinai, while the other, in his sweatshirt get-up, was about to go out for a jog. But apparently, his observable adherence to his practice and routine was enough to make a good impression on the upperclassman that he insisted they be in first-name basis.

"Mitsuru asked me to come and get you," the silver hair said as he approached, "Takeba's about done with breakfast, so make sure you get down to the dining table and join us after you're done training."

"Understood," was the other boy's only reply.

Surprisingly, breakfast in the dorm was a rather pleasant affair and it appears that Yukari had a knack for cooking. They had rice and miso soup with a side dish of beautifully done egg rolls and savory spinach salad. Makoto had four servings before he was satisfied, while Akihiko - who refused to be outdone - managed three. It was a good thing Yukari cooked more than enough, but she wondered whether their stock of groceries would last the week with the two boys' incredible appetite - though Akihiko-senpai was really just pushing himself too hard.

One of the things Yukari told him last night was that everyone was to take turns on cooking duty every week because they didn't have a dorm mother. The line-up was to be alphabetical, and the first on duty was decided by a luck of draw - Yukari drew the shortest. And with the addition of Makoto to the dorm, his turn would come the following week.

"So you'd better take the time to create a meal plan," Yukari told him last night, "and don't worry about the money for groceries. Apparently, there's a budget for that."

After breakfast, they all went back to their respective rooms to get ready for school. And since it was the first day of classes, Akihiko insisted they all go to school together. All agreed.

The ride to school was uneventful aside from Akihiko and Yukari glancing at Mitsuru to see how she was faring in the crowded train. Makoto, on the other hand, just kept listening to his tunes, oblivious to all or so it would seem. But when a seat in front of him was coincidentally vacated, he had offered it to Mitsuru because he had this idea that wearing heeled boots were probably painful.

"Welcome to Gekkoukan High!," Yukari announced as they pass the gates of the school looking at Makoto for his reaction, "Hope you like it here."

"Well, the place is run by the Kirijo Group so take care what you say around Mitsuru," Akihiko jokingly added as they walked down the avenue of cherry blossoms.

"Don't start giving him the wrong idea, Akihiko," Mitsuru interjected sternly but in a light tone, "Don't worry, Yuki, you can speak your mind."

"Well, it's big," was all Makoto said staring at the main building and the walkway, lined with sakura trees, leading up to it. He was a little preoccupied to take in the beauty and grandness of the school at this time. He noticed that as they walked up to the main building, almost everyone made way for them. Soon, there were people pointing at him from the sides as they passed. And since he was no longer wearing his earphones, he could hear snatches of conversation here and there.

But the three students with him didn't seem to notice, or if they did, they said nothing about it. So Makoto said nothing as well. If no one was making a fuss out of it, then he didn't see any reason or need for him to bring it up.

"Well, this is my stop," Akihiko said as they entered the school lobby, "I still got some things I need to do for the boxing club so I'm going on ahead. See you guys later."

"I'm coming with you, Senpai. I need to check on the archery club as well," Yukari chimed in before Akihiko could walk away, "See you later, Yuki-kun... Kirijo-senpai," and with a hurried bow the pink cardigan walked off with the silver hair towards the gym.

"Well, that just leaves the two of us," spoke Mitsuru, her tone was crisp and business-like, "I have some matters to attend to in the faculty office this morning so I guess I'll be accompanying you there then."

But before they could head to the faculty office, Mitsuru had Makoto check out his room assignment on the postings on the bulletin board so he'd know which teacher to talk to. After finding his name under the roster for class 2-F, which he noticed also had Yukari's name on it, he and Mitsuru made their way to speak to his homeroom adviser. All the while, he could feel the stares of the students at the back of his head, even though it looked like he was oblivious to everything.

Makoto found that the matter Mitsuru had to attend to was for the upcoming Student Council elections. He could hear her and another teacher discussing her candidacy just one table down from his homeroom adviser, Ms. Toriumi's.

Isako Toriumi - as it was written on her table - was a Composition teacher, and she seemed like a laid-back person, or just a disorganized one. Given the fact that she hadn't had the time to read through his profile showed as much. Makoto then wondered if being disorganized was the common trend in this school - first the dorm, now his homeroom.

After seeing that his papers were in order, they left the office for homeroom. Seeing that Mitsuru was still busy with the other teacher, Makoto just gave a slight bow of his head in her direction. But she apparently saw his gesture because she gave a slight nod in reply.

Being the new student was always a tough ordeal. More so when the rest of the student population suddenly found you interesting due to the company you keep. Thus it was the case for Makoto after Ms. Toriumi had ended homeroom and left the class that he was suddenly harassed by a barrage of questions from curious classmates. It didn't help that Yukari had also disappeared at the end of homeroom.

"Hey, hey, you were walking side by side with Takeba-san this morning. I saw you.", "Kirijo-senpai was also there!", "Sanada-senpai, too!", "Don't those three live together in the same dorm?", "Woah! Then that means-", "Dude, do you know if Takeba-san's dating anyone?", "What's Sanada-senpai like outside school?", "How close are you with Kirijo-senpai?", "Yeah, I saw you two walking by yourselves across the lobby!"

Makoto could only stare in the face of so many questions, a look of consternation slowly descending upon his face. He seemed to be slowly experiencing a lot of new things ever since he came to Iwatodai last night. But despite the onslaught of questions, some just curious while others accusatory, he figured that not saying anything would only cause more problems down the line. And so he repeated "I don't know" to each face.

"All right! Hold up!"

A loud voice shouted from the front of the room and everyone suddenly stopped to see who it was. A boy in a baseball cap, wearing a purple-collared shirt underneath his unbuttoned school uniform, was standing on top of the teacher's table.

"Give the new kid a break will ya!," with that he jumped off of the table and started pushing the rest of the class away from Makoto's seat with comments here and there.

"I know you've got the hots for her, man, but lay off the transfer.", "You keep asking 'bout her life outside school, I'm startin' to think yer a stalker. And she will, too.", "Dude, that chick's just outta yer league so forget 'bout it.", "And you! Stop being such an obsessed groupie.

"Now if anyone needs to ask him about anythin' then you guys hafta go through me first," the baseball cap declared as he stood by Makoto's table like a bouncer in front of a club.

"Hey, who made you his manager?," asked a lanky dude with long hair.

"I did, pal! And you better get yer ass back to yer seat before Yukatan comes in!," the baseball cap retorted back and the guy left with a disappointed frown. Well, self-appointed manager or not, this guy just saved him from that hassle so Makoto guessed that he should be thankful.

"Thank you. But who're you?"

"The name's Junpei Iori!," the baseball cap declared as he placed a hand on Makoto's shoulder and leaned in close, "But y'could just call me Junpei."

"You're too close," Makoto remarked.

"Actually I transferred here during middle school, so I know how tough it is being the new kid," Junpei continued in his self-introduction as if he didn't hear Makoto's remark regarding his personal space, "That's why I came here to show you watta nice guy I am!"

"You're too close," Makoto repeated as Junpei leaned in close for a second time.

"At it again, huh."

Both boys straightened up when they noticed Yukari was back in the room and walking towards them. "Well, if isn't Yukatan. I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

"I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But I was just bein' friendly! Ain't that right, Makoto?," Junpei was nudging him to take his side which Makoto nodded in agreement since the guy did save him from the mob of crazed fanatics just a little while ago.

"If you say so," said Yukari obviously not entirely convinced that the cap wearing goatee was, for once, not up to no good, before talking to the blue hair, "Anyway, look's like we're in the same homeroom."

"Coincidence, is all," Makoto replied bluntly.

"I know, but still...," a concerned look on her face, "I was a little surprised."

"Um, hello?," Junpei interjected apparently not taking a liking to being shunned off to the side, "Are you forgetting that I'm in this class, too?," a pause as he looked from one to the other, "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon gimme da dirt!"

Yukari scoffed at the obvious accusation before exclaiming, "What're you talking about? We live in the same dorm, and our senpais were there along with us. So there's nothing going on okay? Why are people even talking about it!?"

But before anyone could answer why it was suddenly the talk of the whole school that the new transfer student was magically acquainted with three of the most popular kids in Gekkoukan, the bell for first period started ringing and everyone was returning to their seats.

"Come on, class is about to start," Yukari simply stated as she went for her seat.

"Well, someone's paranoid," Junpei whispered to Makoto, "But, hey! It's only the first period and people are talkin' 'bout ya! You da man!," then gave him a slap to the back before returning to his own seat saying, mostly to himself, "This is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

Thus began Makoto Yuki's new life at Gekkoukan High.

* * *

**AFTERWORD**:

(2015) I'm not really all that confident about this chapter because of the fencing scene. Since I know jack about fencing-or kendo-this was the best I could come up with after watching a bunch of videos on youtube. Well, aside from that I hope you guys like this update.

(2017.05.10) I have decided to place the fencing flashback on a later chapter. Also, the quote is from Neil Gaiman. Please read, review, criticize. Cheers.


	4. Awakening

_Welcome to the Velvet Room._

Makoto needed to blink a few times before he was satisfied that what he was seeing was real - or as real as one can perceive given the circumstances. He was in what seemed to be like a room dyed entirely in a deep blue color that felt so thick he could feel it on his skin. _Velvet_, he realized. The entire room seemed to be covered in velvet blue, but that wasn't all of it.

Directly in front of him was a table, covered in that blue velvet material, and behind that was a man. An old man with wide, bloodshot eyes and an abnormally large nose the length of his hands, dressed smartly in a black suit. Standing next to him was a woman wearing clothes the same color as the room, looking like some sort of attendant, hat and all. She had short white hair and distinctively yellow eyes. Behind them both was a chain-link fence with a rather intricately designed clock installed high up on the wall. The room seemed to be moving upwards. An elevator, perhaps. And a large one at that.

The boy, realizing that he was seated in what seemed like a sofa, the cushions also made from velvet, continued to sit in silence, waiting for events to unfold. He knew his presence here shall be explained in due time, he need only wait for it.

_My name is Igor_, said the old man in a slightly gravelly voice, _I am delighted to make your acquaintance. And this, _he gestured to his left, at the woman standing there, _is Elizabeth. She is a resident of this room, like myself._

_One is pleased to meet you_, came a distinctively feminine voice from Makoto's left and as he turned to look, there he saw the woman called Elizabeth, whom he was sure had been next to the man called Igor just a moment ago. She was coming up from behind the sofa, holding a red notebook in both hands. She reached the table at the center and there placed the notebook. She then threw him a smile before returning to her initial position at Igor's side.

_This is your contract is it not?_, Igor asked as he opened the red notebook to reveal the piece of paper Makoto signed the night he arrived at the dorm. He nodded in affirmation which seemed to have pleased the old man.

_This then shall serve as proof that you are a guest of this room_, Igor started to explain, _A place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those of you who has signed the contract may enter here. And I doubt you need reminding but_, he paused for a while, _I do hope you abide by what you have agreed to and assume responsibility over the actions you make. It is only then that I shall be able to help you hone your unique ability. For the mean time..._

At a snap of the old man's fingers, a yellow glow appeared a few inches in front of the boy's eyes that he involuntarily raised a hand to keep himself from going momentarily blind. After a moment the light vanished and there the boy saw, hovering in midair, was a golden key with a face engraved on the bow.

Makoto reached out his hand and took the key, instinctively knowing that they meant for him to have it. The moment he did so, a flash of white light enveloped him and then there was only nothingness.

_'Til we meet again._

* * *

**_Two sides of the same coin._**

* * *

-Oi, Makoto.

-Yuki-kun?

-Rise and shine, man!

-School's over, Yuki-kun. Wake up...

-Ma-ko-to!

-Wait, he's about to wake up.

-It's alive! It's alive~!

-Ugh. Quit it, Junpei!

Makoto drowsily opened his eyes to see two of his classmates staring down at him. He straightened his back as he stretched his arms out and yawned. _Good nap_, he thought as he rubbed the sleep from both eyes, _weird dream though_. Then he stopped.

_Weird dream?_

He felt like there was something there but couldn't pin it down exactly. He had a dream. He thought the dream was weird. But he couldn't remember what it was about or why he felt like it was something strange. And now that he was thinking about it, he's not even sure if he actually was dreaming. He was lost in thought for a while before realizing that Junpei and Yukari were still by his seat watching him.

"Thanks," he tried stifling a yawn, "for waking me..."

"What? Didcha stay up late last night watching TV or somethin'?," probed Junpei seated in front of Makoto's desk, his head resting on the backrest of a chair.

"Oh, come on. That's you, Junpei," Yukari interjected, knocking the goatee's baseball cap off his head, "Besides, I don't think Yuki-kun even watches TV."

"Yeah, right. He's a teenager! Surely you watch TV don'chu, Makoto?," retrieving the cap off the floor and replacing it on his buzz cut head.

"I do," came Makoto's reply.

"See? Ain't I right?," Junpei said to Yukari, seemingly proud at himself, "So what shows do you watch, man? Personally, I like the Lying Games series."

"News," answered Makoto.

There was a pause. A long one.

"Man, you must be fun at parties," said Junpei when he realized that Makoto wasn't going to add anymore to that list. A look of bored disappointment was painted all over his face.

"Well, I guess I'll just be going on ahead then," Yukari gathered her things and was about to make her way out the door before, "Oh, and Yuki-kun. Tell our senpais that dinner's gonna be a little late tonight coz I've got club today," and then she was gone.

After Yukari left, Makoto started packing up.

"Lucky you, man. I sure as heck know that a lotta guys would kill to be in yer place," Junpei said staring at the empty doorway as he stood up with bag in hand, "Honestly, besides Yuka-tan, whose meals you've been _enjoying_ so far, there's also Mitsuru-senpai in the same dorm. Man, really, lucky you."

Makoto thought about this for a moment. He had an idea why people would be jealous of him - like Yukari's cooking - but what he didn't understand was why, if the boys wanted to become closer to these two girls, none of them dared make a move and befriend them. Then they complain at each other and become resentful of him. Or was he being unfair to think this way, since he was the one given the privilege to be in the same dorm?

"Well, I think it's about time we dudes went home, eh?," Junpei's voice cut through his thoughts.

Agreeing, Makoto made a move to stand up from his seat. But the moment he did so, something metallic fell from his pants' pocket and clanged as it hit the floor. Looking down, Makoto saw that it was a golden key with a face engraved on the bow.

* * *

That evening as it was almost time for dinner, Makoto, who was still in his school uniform, saw that they had a guest in the lounge, talking with Mitsuru and Akihiko, as he came down the stairs. The guest was a bespectacled man in a brown suit with long wavy brown hair combed back over his head. The boy realized who the man was and so came over.

"Good evening, sir," Makoto greeted as he bowed down to the man.

"Ah, Makoto-kun. How've you been my boy? Or should I say, what's _cooking_?," the man greeted back with a chuckle at the sight of the blue-haired boy in front of him. Mitsuru and Akihiko didn't bother to react to the question that was obviously meant as a joke, but they could all hear Yukari's audible sigh from the kitchen.

"You know each other, Chairman?," Akihiko asked before Makoto could say anything, surprised that the transfer student personally knew the Head of Gekkoukan Academy, Shuji Ikutsuki.

"Why, I would like to think so," replied Ikutsuki, "since I was the one who personally offered him a scholarship in Gekkoukan. Isn't that right, son?"

Makoto replied with a nod and an almost inaudible _yes_.

The school would have a field day with this. Makoto Yuki had been the hottest new topic all over school. Who he was, where did he come from. People were able to extract information that he came to Japan from abroad. And the fact that the man himself refused to entertain questions only added to the mystery. To find out he was some sort of hotshot whom the school head personally offered a scholarship to, would only exaggerate the already circulating rumors about him.

"Chairman, would you like to join us for dinner?," Mitsuru asked as she got up from the sofa.

"Oh, by all means, yes. It's been a while since I've had some homemade food," Ikutsuki said as he, too, got up from the lounge chair, "I heard that Takeba-kun's a rather good cook so I'm expecting this _otter_ be good!"

The Chairman chuckled at his own joke as Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Yukari just pretended they didn't hear anything. On the other hand, to the surprise of almost everyone in the room, Makoto said, "That wasn't really _pun_ny."

The three students just looked dumbfounded that the usually silent young man would say something so out of character from what they initially thought of him. Although Ikutstuki was beaming like a proud father at hearing him say that.

-Oh come, Makoto-kun. How about _yukari_ that joke a little further?

-Well, I'd give you a chemistry joke but most of them _Argon_.

-I told a joke like that to Mitsuru the other day. Unfortunately, she had no _reaction_...

-Well, Mitsuru-senpai is probably a _noble_.

And to the dismay of Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Yukari, the two continued throwing puns at each other for the remainder of the evening. One lively chuckling at his, the other delivering them with a dead pan. Finally, dinner was over and Makoto decided to retreat into his room, to the disappointment of Ikutsuki but to the relief of his fellow dormers.

Makoto could tell that the others probably thought he was weird - and lame - by exchanging puns with the school's Chairman. It was that man's fault in the first place anyway. He had visited him abroad countless of times over the years no matter where he and his grandparents were living at that time, claiming to be a family friend. And since he was welcome in their home, the man's love for wordplay seemed to have rubbed off on the boy as he grew up. Makoto had always thought it was a good mental exercise.

But what light feeling he had had during dinner soon dissipated as he entered his rather under-decorated room and was once again alone. Their little session downstairs had been a good distraction but as Makoto closed the door, he began to feel a weight on his chest. A heaviness he's been feeling since earlier that afternoon. He raised a hand to his breast pocket and retrieved a key from within. It was now heavier than it did just a moment ago.

He thought of the dream but still couldn't really understand what it could possibly mean, and why would something that supposedly only existed in his subconscious would physically appear in his reality. _The same way a child in prison clothes could vanish into darkness, I guess_, he said to himself.

He placed the key into his pants' pocket and crossed the room towards his bed. The idea that maybe he was just tired played in his mind so he decided to lie down for a bit, not bothering to change out of his uniform. But as he lay there, he found that he could not sleep.

Soon the clock on his bedside table struck midnight. And everything died.

But the boy only lay on his bed. And he continued to do this even after he heard running footsteps nearby. Then a large tremor suddenly shook the whole building. Soon footsteps could be heard again, but this time closer. At this moment, Makoto was already on his way towards the door.

"Yuki-kun! I know you're awake so I'm coming in!," came Yukari's voice from outside before the door was wrenched open and a harassed-looking pink cardigan entered the room, "Quickly, come with me!"

Makoto didn't ask any questions as he let Yukari pull him by the sleeve of his uniform, running towards the stairs that led to the lobby, noting that she had her gun again. Soon they were in the kitchen and headed towards the back door when Yukari suddenly started talking to herself.

"Y-yes! I hear you!," a pause and then a loud, "What?!"

And as if that was the signal, the back door shook as if someone, or something, was trying to break it down. Makoto could feel Yukari tense, telling him that whatever it was that was forcing its way through the back door was most definitely not a guest. Especially not the kind you can exchange terrible jokes with.

"Let's pull back!," Yukari gasped as another tremor shook the entire dormitory.

Muttering to herself, Yukari led Makoto upstairs. It seemed like whatever it was they were running from, the girl desperately hoped that by going up as high as possible would keep them safe for a while - at least until the seniors deal with it. She shivered as she imagined the worst case scenario.

_But if it comes to that, then I must fight. I have to protect Yuki-kun, too. So I can't let it end here. Not before I find the truth!_

"So like hell I'm gonna die here!"

Without realizing it, Yukari had shouted the last of her thoughts, making Makoto look up at her in confusion. There he saw in her eyes a reflection of the war being waged inside her mind. Fear and determination fought control over her. He realized that their lives were at stake. And a shadow was slowly descending upon them.

They kept climbing upwards until the pair finally burst into the rooftop. It was empty. Yukari let out an audible sigh of relief as she tried to catch her breath. Running up and down flights of stairs would tire anyone out. Makoto, on the other hand, simply looked skywards and saw that the gigantic green moon was full. Something steered within him as he continued to fix his gaze at the giant orb above their heads. But this reprieve was short-lived.

A guttural sound was coming from the front of the building, and it was getting louder with each passing second. Yukari took up a defensive stance and tried to keep Makoto behind her. But the boy could see she was shaking, presumably out of fear.

"Don't tell me its climbing up the wall," Makoto heard Yukari mutter under her breath.

Just then, a loud roar broke through the quiet of the night sky as a large black arm came into view, followed by another, both grabbing the side of the rooftop. To appear next was another hand but this one was holding a mask and then suddenly several more came up beside it, holding knives. It lifted itself unto the rooftop and surveyed its surroundings. Or at least that's what it seemed like as the mask turned from one side to the other.

"Ack!"

Despite being momentarily frozen in fear, Yukari turned around as she heard a distressing sound behind her. Makoto was on his knees clutching his left eye as his right glared at the nightmare in front of them. He could only wheeze in pain as his chest started to tighten, making it hard for him to take in air. It looked like he was having a panic attack. Yukari had no choice but to protect him.

She grabbed the gun from its holster and placed the barrel against her forehead, the thumb of her right hand on the trigger. But she was too late.

When she had turned around to see Makoto in pain, the monster had stopped looking around idly but instead focused on the two people in front of it. And just as she was about to make a move, it was already halfway across the roof. So by the time she had placed the gun to her head, the congregation of arms and hands was already a few feet in front of her, easily swatting her to the side before she could even pull the trigger.

Makoto could only stare in confusion as a flash of pink hit the wall at the far end of the rooftop. But the monster was right on top of him now, the lifeless eyes of its mask staring down at him and a feeling of foreboding gripped his heart. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move, let alone breath properly, and the throbbing pain in his right eye only intensified. The monster raised its multiple knives, ready to strike, and the boy could only stare at it out of one eye.

_After ten long years, death has finally caught up to me._

But before the monster could strike him, something brown came flying through the air and hit the mask, momentarily disorienting it. Forcing himself to look to the direction the object came from, Makoto saw Yukari leaning against the low wall, a shoe in hand.

"Hey! Over here, you ugly thing!," she shouted, throwing another shoe at the monster.

_Wait. Why is she doing this?_

The monster, seeing that the girl was still alive, decided to change its target thinking that the boy was in no condition to fight back anyway. It quickly turned and run up to a defenseless Yukari. Makoto realized she didn't have her gun anymore. The monster was reducing the distance between it and her and she had nothing on hand to fight with. At this rate, she'll die.

_Like hell I'm gonna die here!_

As the words rang in his head, fragments of a distorted scene came flashing across his mind.

The explosion, the crash, the screams. A large figure at the end of the road, coming closer. A face that was not a face, looming in. The smell of blood hung in the air, suffocating him. And a boy, smiling at him... _Go on_, he heard him say.

Looking down, Makoto saw the gun at his knees, glinting underneath the green glow of the full moon. Despite the urgency of their situation, the boy felt like time slowed down as he removed his left hand from his face and picked up the silver gun off the floor. He took to his feet and watched as the monster inched closer towards Yukari, its knives held high. He raised the gun up to his right temple.

He could see a boy in pajamas at the far end of the roof, smiling at him and mouthing one word.

"Per-

The explosion...

"so-

The crash...

"na..."

The screams...

And he pulled the trigger. His mind shattered into little shards of light, as his head exploded with countless thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams, nightmares, memories. He could feel the pressure tightening around his chest begin to slack. The pain on his left eye began to dissipate. A surge of energy flowed through his veins as he could feel a limitless amount of raw power take physical form.

_Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings._

Makoto gasped at this new experience. He did not need to look up above him to see Orpheus there, or to know what it looks like. He did not need to lay eyes on it to see the white hair and mechanical body, or the lyre that hung from its back. He knew it was there. The monster did, too, as it has by now forgotten about the barefooted girl in the pink cardigan, and was now focusing its attention on him. Slowly, it advanced.

Just then, Makoto was overcome by a sense of vertigo and momentarily lost his balance. But the feeling only lasted a second before he was standing up straight again.

He was seeing the monster two ways now. One was from where he stood on the rooftop, the other was from somewhere above. It was as if his mind was split into two and he could see through the eyes of Orpheus who hovered in midair. It was an inexplicable feeling. But he felt amazing.

And he knew what to do.

But as he raised his, Orpheus', hand to grab the lyre from his back, a third vision came into his mind's eye. Makoto could see through another set of eyes but the view it saw was the same as Orpheus. Without warning, another surge of power overcame his body, burning through his skin.

"Aaagh!"

He cried out as pain ran through his entire body. No. It wasn't his body that was experiencing this pain, it was Orpheus. But he could feel it as if it was his own. He could feel his chest caving in, and his limbs being torn from his torso as Orpheus was destroyed by another entity. Yet at the same time he could feel a euphoric excitement and an electrifying amount of strength from the self who was forcing its way out of Orpheus' body.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHH!"

He threw his head back and screamed as loud as his lungs permitted, as Orpheus was forcefully disintegrated revealing his third self. The feeling of looking through the eyes of this new being was different. Rage filled his head. An overwhelming amount of unadulterated rage. He wanted nothing more than to rip the _shadow_ apart, limb by limb. And he could see that it had more than enough limbs to satisfy him.

A roar escaped him as he swooped down on the now cowering mass of arms and hands. Using his bare hands, he ripped each hand from its arms, and crushed every finger on its hands. He then grabbed the mask in both his hands and gradually increased the pressure. He started laughing as the arms that could still move flailed around in anguish as its head was slowly being crushed. Even the Makoto who was in his real body was laughing uncontrollably and maniacally at the demise of his enemy. Then in one last exertion of power, he crushed the mask completely.

The fight, or be correct, the massacre only lasted a few seconds before the enemy was absolutely pulverized into a thousand different pieces that disintegrated and vanished.

Makoto was now on his knees again, as the burst of power had taken away much of his stamina. He could see, through his real eyes, the entity that had raged within his mind. It was a huge creature, humanoid in shape, but with a helm-like mask covering its face. There were what looked like coffins hovering around it.

At the same time, he saw himself, through the creature's eyes. He looked so small, so fragile. Sheer exhaustion mired his boyish face. His arms, which he thought were rather strong from all his time studying the sword, looked nothing more than sticks as they simply hung from his shoulders. He was but a boy. And then the vision vanished.

Makoto's vision returned to normal as his third self slowly receded into nothingness. And as it vanished, so did the unbelievable power that had surged through his body. He could feel his body give up at the lost of the unknown power and soon realized that he did not even have enough strength to keep himself awake. Thus, closing his eyes, Makoto fell into a deep slumber, one where there was no pain.

He felt nothing as his body finally keeled over and hit the ground.

* * *

**AFTERWORD:**

(2015) Well, this was updated later than I planned due to distractions. I'm looking at you Princess Bride, Monty Python, Catherine, and Crescendolls. So yeah, it took me a while. But hey, we finally get to see Makoto awaken to the power of Persona. So please enjoy! And, again, if you have the time, review! Cheers!

(2017.05.10) Corrected some typos is all.


	5. SEES

_A pleasure to have you here again._

Makoto opened his eyes and saw that he was in the Velvet Room; and it was still as velvety blue as the first time he'd been here. Igor was still seated across the table from him; and Elizabeth still stood elegantly to the man's left. The only change he could see so far from his previous visit was the object on the table in front of him. Replacing the red notebook was a single card; on its face was a drawing of a man carrying a bindle with a dog at his heels; the number zero written at the bottom.

_It seems you have met Orpheus_, the old man began to explain as he flipped the card to reveal a drawing of a mechanical man with white hair and a lyre slung to his back. _Curious. Very curious._

_He is a being called Persona_, Igor continued, _a manifestation of your psyche, a facet of your personality._ _Think of it as a mask of sorts,_ he swept a hand over the table, transforming the card into a white mask; the number zero engraved on its forehead, _that protects you as you brave many hardships._ _That being said, your power is still weak at the moment._

_But as fate would have it, _Elizabeth chimed in,_ you appear to have the ability to gain new ones._ _May you be successful in overcoming the hardships you will soon have to face, then you will be able to overcome your current limitations._ Igor, with his eyes close, nodded in agreement.

_Now then_, the old man spoke as he opened his eyes, _some time has passed in your reality. So I mustn't keep you here any longer than you should. Until then..._

Makoto realized he was no longer seated on the sofa, facing Igor across the table; but was now standing directly in front of a blue door. Elizabeth stood next to it as she smiled demurely at him; gesturing that he open the door. _Take care_, she said as he placed one hand on the knob.

Light spilled into the room as he pushed the door open and for a while he was blind. Then...

_I looked up to see a woman in a flowing dress holding my hand. We were walking down a stone pathway; trees with purple flowers lining both sides. There was a man to our right, walking slightly ahead. His blue-black hair being swept by the pleasant spring breeze._

_Mama. Papa._

_Both adults stopped and turned to look at me; their faces beaming in the soft, warm glow of the midday sun. The woman, my mother, crouched down as she placed both hands under my arms and carried me close to her bosom. I reached out a small hand to her face and rested it on her cheek as she smiled at me patiently; tucking a wayward strand of light brown hair behind her ear. Then the kind, almost boyish face of my father came into view next to Mama and he, too, was smiling serenely._

_I felt at peace. I felt safe. And I felt like no one could take this feeling away..._

* * *

**_Remember the past, live in the present, look to the future_  
**

* * *

"You're awake!"

Makoto opened his eyes and saw something red, but the light flooding the room made it difficult for him to recognize anything else. He realized then that he was crying. And as his vision started to gain focus, he saw someone leaning over him; someone with light brown hair. _Mama_, he thought, tears streaming down his cheeks. But as his eyesight steadily became normal, he realized that it wasn't his mother who was leaning over him - his mother had been long dead - and that the red he saw upon waking had been a ribbon. "Takeba-," he croaked.

"Oh, wait," Yukari gently helped Makoto up and poured him a glass of water; he then took this chance to surreptitiously wipe the tears from his face. "Thank goodness, you finally came to... I - we... were worried you might end up in a coma. Although the doctor did say that there was nothing to worry about since there's really nothing wrong with you. But still..."

"Where am I?" the blue-haired boy asked in a slightly raspy voice, even though it was rather easy to ascertain this environment just by looking: white walls, white floor, white ceiling, and the faint smell of antiseptic; he also noticed a vase full of purple flowers adorned his bedside table.

"Tatsumi Memorial Hospital," Yukari answered looking concerned. "The Kirijo Group runs the place so it was relatively easy to have you checked in the night you collapsed." She paused, biting her lips; the look of concern becoming more apparent. "I'm - sorry..."

Makoto turned to face her. She had taken a seat on a lounge chair; her head down, shoulders hunched, and both hands on her knees. "I couldn't do anything," she started to explain. "I was supposed to protect you - but you ended up protecting me instead; and you were hospitalized for it. I'm really sorry..."

"It's okay," Makoto replied. "I wasn't expecting much from you anyway."

Yukari had looked up at him in surprise only to have him criticize her. There was truth in his words, yes, but she would have liked it if he'd been more discreet. "Geez, that's some tact you got there," she said reproachfully, frowning.

"But," Makoto suddenly interjected, "you were able to help out in the end." He then looked at her directly and said, "You had good aim with the shoe."

Taken by surprise again, Yukari held his gaze for a second or two, until she felt like giggling at his deadpan words of gratitude at her shoe-throwing performance the other night. He really was a weird guy, but she was glad: he didn't seem to blame her for what happened to him.

"You know, I'm - actually like you," Yukari sighed after calming down. "You - were crying in your sleep and saying 'mama' a few times before you woke up." She looked up to face Makoto directly. "She died in the accident that happened here ten years ago, didn't she? Her and your dad? I've - already heard about your past," she said, to the surprise of the blue-haired boy. "You see, my dad died in that accident, too. And ever since then, me and my mom were never in good terms. So, I'm all alone now, just like you," she sighed.

"Why tell me this?" Makoto asked, in his usual manner.

"I didn't like having you at a disadvantage like that, so I've been meaning to tell you about my past to make it even," Yukari replied. "I'm sorry for hiding this from you. That and some other things..."

"Other things?"

"Yes." Yukari stood up. "But you'll have to wait until they discharge you before we explain the rest," she said as she walked towards the doors, "I'll be telling the others you woke up. The nurse would be coming around about now so later then..." Yukari then exited the room and gently slid the door close behind her, leaving Makoto alone with his thoughts again.

* * *

It was that evening that Makoto was told he could be discharged by tomorrow morning. Akihiko, who had came to visit him, brought him his things and school uniform at his request. And so it was the next day, at dawn, as he was changing clothes, that someone entered the room. He peeked his head out of the curtains surrounding his bed to see who it was that came in.

"I'm terribly sorry," Mitsuru quickly apologized as she turned around, almost motioning towards the door as if to see herself out. "I should have knocked first. That was terribly rude of me. I didn't think you'd be up so early and-"

"I was done," Makoto interrupted; walking out of the curtains to reveal that he was already clothed. Mitsuru, with a slight tinged to her cheeks, turned around to see that he was; letting out a sigh of relief.

"I see," Mitsuru said timidly but quickly regained her usual composure. "I'm glad you're feeling well. Yet I hope you're not pushing yourself too hard. You can take another day off, Yuki. I doubt it would hurt your school performance anyway, considering your background..." Makoto looked up at the mention of this information with a quizzical look in his eyes. Mitsuru bit her lip, a guilty look dawning on her face.

"Takeba has told you, hasn't she?" He nodded. "Yuki, I'm terribly sorry for subjecting you under surveillance. I feel like I am to blame for what happened to you because of it. If we had been quicker in coming to your aid, I doubt there'd have been a need for you to be hospitalized and thus-"

"It wasn't anyone's fault. Much less yours," Makoto said turning to the redhead as he picked up his school bag from the bed. "Whatever that's going to happen will, inevitably, happen," he said, looking straight at his senpai's scarlet eyes. And without another word, he walked towards the door, slid it open, and waited. She turned around to see the blue-haired boy patiently waiting for her by the open door.

"It is what it is," Makoto said.

"There's," Mitsuru started but paused. "There's something different about you."

Makoto thought for a while and then, "I feel different, yeah."

He was quiet, methodical, and indifferent; but there had been times where he showed an unconventional sense of humor, a sensitivity towards others, and a rather understanding - or perhaps, dismissive - nature. P_erhaps there was hope for him yet_, she thought despite herself, as she and Makoto exited the room.

* * *

That day, a Saturday, then continued without incident: Makoto could remember going to school with Mitsuru - as she had insisted because of his too recent hospitalization; he remembered the continued battery of questions - whereupon included the reason for his week-long absence, and accusations of his actual relation to the Kirijo heiress; he also remembered the difference between the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras - no thanks to Mr. Ono; then there was Junpei's invitation to hang out at Paulownia Mall, after school, with another male classmate, Kenji Tomochika - he was expected to be back in the dorm by eight that evening so he didn't mind to play along until then; but what he couldn't exactly remember was how he ended up lugging around Junpei's stuff, with the aforementioned man in tow, at half past seven, heading towards the Iwatodai Dormitory.

Though it didn't take too long for him to find out why.

As the two high school boys neared the dormitory building, Makoto recognized the silver-haired figure of his senpai standing about the sidewalk as if he was waiting for someone. The moment they were near enough to be spotted however, Akihiko then run up to him with a sour look on his face.

"Where were you?" Akihiko then asked Makoto. "You left your phone in the hospital. No one could get a hold of you." Makoto only then realized he hadn't checked his phone the entire day. "The others are up on the fourth floor so-" The silver hair then stopped short as he saw the baseball cap behind the blue-haired boy. "Oh," was the only thing that escaped his lips.

"Hey, there Sanada-senpai!" Junpei greeted in his usual jovial manner.

"I see. So you were helping him with his stuff. That's pretty nice of you, Makoto," Akihiko said to Makoto, raising a thumbs up at him as if in approval for his actions. Though this only confused him even more since his senpai was apparently waiting not just for him but for Junpei as well. "I'll explain later. Come on. Oh, and Iori - just leave your stuff in the lounge."

On the fourth floor of the dormitory were a pair of double doors. Makoto didn't remember seeing it there, perhaps because he and Yukari were running for their lives the night they passed here. But behind those double doors was a large room not unlike the lounge on the first floor; the only difference being was the large computer-like structure that covered most of one wall. Right now, it was only showing a satellite map of Iwatodai.

"Junpei!?" Yukari exclaimed as Akihiko, Makoto, and Junpei entered the room. "Why's _he_ here? Wait, don't tell me-"

"This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F; Makoto and Takeba's classmate," Akihiko interrupted. "He's the one I told you guys about: the one I bumped into the other night. He's only awakened to it recently, but he has the potential. That's why he'll be staying here as of today," he continued to the rest of the room: where besides Yukari, was Mitsuru and Ikutstuki.

"Wazzup," Junpei chuckled as Yukari sighed. "Sanada-senpai actually found me cryin' like a baby in a convenience store, surrounded by a bunch'a coffins-"

"You got lost?" Makoto suggested.

"No!" the baseball cap retorted indignantly, "Well, I don't think so at least. I don't remember much actually 'sides that it was really embarrassing. But Senpai told me that, that was normal in the beginning. Didn'tcha know?"

But before anyone - namely, Yukari - could react any further, Mitsuru spoke up. "Well, now that we're all gathered, I believe it's about time we start filling Yuki and Iori on the details of why exactly they're here. Though I believe Akihiko had already explained the basics to Iori?" Junpei puffed up and nodded proudly. "Well, that just leaves Yuki then. Please, take your seats. Chairman?"

Everyone turned to the man in the brown suit as the boys sat down.

"First off, I'd like to ask Makoto-kun if he had anything he'd like to say to me," Ikutsuki started; all eyes now on Makoto.

"How long have I been under surveillance?" came the boy's reply.

"About ten years," Ikutsuki answered, calmly staring at the blue-haired boy. "Ever since you were recovered from the accident, assessors from the Kirijo Group came to monitor you while in the hospital. Also, the doctors who looked over you for your annual check-ups were from the Group as well."

"And you?"

"In part, yes, I had frequently visited you as an assessor. But believe me when I say: I also came for you, Makoto-kun. It is the truth that I am a family friend. Your grandparents can attest to that."

"They knew?"

"Yes. Since you are but still underage, the consent of your guardians was a must for us to continue monitoring you. That's why every time you moved locations, we knew where to find you, and thus knew where to station our own doctors for your sake."

"Why?"

"Largely, because of your condition," Ikutsuki simply said, his voice serious. Out of the few survivors from the accident ten years ago, Makoto was the only one who suffered greatly from memory lost. While the others only found difficulty in recalling a few hours up to the moment of the accident, the boy had somehow lost eight years of his.

After what Yukari had divulged to him yesterday, Makoto was unsure as to how much exactly about his past was she told, and if Akihiko was more or less knowledgeable than her. Then there was Mitsuru. She's a Kirijo, thus she might be aware of that much information, but he couldn't be sure. So far he could tell, Yukari, Akihiko, and of course, Junpei, were unaware of what his condition exactly was.

"I see," Makoto then muttered, "That'll be all."

Ikutsuki sighed as he repositioned his glasses, and then smiled since Makoto didn't seem to be at all mad at him for not being absolutely honest all these years. But then again, it was hard to tell with the boy since he kept an unreadable facade at all times; even now.

"Well, how about I ask you a question in turn, Makoto-kun," Ikutsuki started. "Since when have you been aware of the extra midnight hour?"

"Ever since I could remember," Makoto answered, "about nine or so years ago. I think."

There was a look of surprise on almost everyone's faces at this information, since most of them only awakened recently. They imagined it was a nightmarish experience for Makoto who had been aware of the green hour even as a child. Mitsuru was the only one whose face became grave at Makoto's answer.

"We call this time the Dark Hour," Mitsuru explained. "But that's not the only thing you need to be aware of." She took out a newspaper and placed it on the coffee table; the headline read: Suicide at Large. "There have been an increase in suicides these past years. At first, experts dismissed it as depression, but now they say otherwise. It's not that these people were depressed, it was more like they've lost the will to live entirely." Makoto recalled the person who had jumped in front of a speeding train the day he was supposed to arrive at the dorm. "They're either rendered incapable of caring for themselves thus dying, or they actively seek out their own demise. Soon this disorder was called Apathy Syndrome; and the people who suffer from it, the Lost."

"Remember the monster from the other night?" Akihiko joined in. "His kind are actually the ones responsible for most of these deaths. We call them Shadows. And since most people are turned into coffins at this time, it becomes our job to hunt them down, as I've told Junpei the other night. Exciting, isn't it?"

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru said sternly. "Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day."

"Now, now, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki interjected before turning to Makoto and Junpei. "Well, as Sanada-kun has said, these Shadows can only be defeated by a select few. We are the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad; SEES for short. Aside from myself, you all have what it takes to fight Shadows."

"Because of our Persona," Makoto suggested.

"Precisely," Ikutstuki agreed, standing up from his seat and carrying two small silver briefcases he retrieved from underneath the coffee table. He went round to Makoto and Junpei's side and placed the cases in front of them. Opening it revealed silver guns, holsters, and armbands. "So in other words, we would like for both of you to join."

"I'm in!" Junpei exclaimed the moment Ikutsuki had finished talking. Yukari let out a scoff, thinking it was exactly like Junpei to just agree without much thought. Makoto, on the other hand, was a different matter. He only recently was placed in a mortally dangerous situation, and even if Yukari had wanted him to join because of the great amount of power he possessed, she wasn't sure if that would be the right thing.

"I don't mind," came Makoto's reply; to the delight of Ikutsuki and Akihiko, but to the apprehension of Yukari and Mitsuru.

"I'm glad that both of you are willing to do this," Ikutsuki said, smiling. "Well, then how about we continue with the briefing and tell you about Tartarus."


	6. Thebel

"Doing well?"

It was the Dark Hour. Makoto had been studying in his room when midnight struck. Sensing another presence within the room, he turned around to see the boy he met the night he arrived at the dorm sitting comfortably on his bed. The boy smiled at Makoto as if his being there was quite normal to begin with.

"You remembered something about your past, right?" the boy asked. "Actually-" The boy was now standing right next to Makoto. "I remembered something, too." His bright blue eyes and pale face loomed closer as it spoke in a whisper, "Soon, the end will come..."

Blinking, Makoto then saw the boy standing by the window now, staring at the dark, apocalyptic scene that is Iwatodai at midnight. "I don't know exactly what it means by _the end_ though. I just thought that maybe you should know, since I feel we're so much alike."

"Later then..."

* * *

**_Abandon all hope, ye who enter here_  
**

* * *

"Oi, Makoto~"

The blue-haired boy was pulled from a trance with a start. Everyone was staring at him with a look of concern on their faces. It was a while before he remembered exactly where he was and what they were doing there.

They were inside their school - or at least, what used to be their school. As midnight struck and the Dark Hour came to be, so did the transfiguration of Gekkoukan that turned it into a horrendous tower that rivaled even the Empire State Building in height: Tartarus. It was a shock for first-timers like Junpei, but judging from Makoto's expression, he wasn't all too impressed. He feels like aside from the eerie lighting, disappearing children and eldritch abominations, things like school buildings turning into towers was already a given.

"Are you alright, Yuki?" Mitsuru asked, walking towards the younger teen. "If you feel like you're still on the mend, then we can suspend the expedition."

"I'm okay," Makoto simply dismissed their concern. "I've had enough rest."

In actuality, Akihiko had suggested that they go to Tartarus immediately that same night when Makoto and Junpei had joined the team. Mitsuru, on the other hand, admonished him for being too gung-ho when he was still recovering from a set of broken ribs and when Makoto just got out of the hospital earlier that day. Thus the first expedition was suspended for three days to give Makoto time to adjust. At least with him fit to participate, there would be three people going in the tower instead of two which would have been riskier since they were all beginners.

"Alright then," Misturu relented. "I trust you know your own body more than anyone. Akihiko."

"Right," the silver-haired Akihiko stepped up and started briefing the three juniors about the tower. "We don't know how high Tartarus goes but we feel like by exploring its floors we'll get some answers about the Dark Hour itself. Now like we've said the other night, this place is a Shadow nest so the moment you go through that portal over there," he then pointed to an archway atop the stairs in front of them that looked like a clock of some sort, "there's a great chance you'll run into some of them and therefore have to fight. That's where your weapons and Evokers come into play."

All three had already taken out the said weapons from the sports bags they were carrying. Apparently, aside from the bank of consoles in the Command Room, there was also an armory. Yukari brought with her the bow she used to practice with in the school's archery team, but with arrows from the armory. Junpei chose for himself an imitation model of a katana, though fake, it was heavy enough to be of use - he'd have wanted an actual katana but the seniors dissuaded him from using one until he was more experienced. Makoto, despite being a practitioner of kendo, chose to arm himself with a simple one-handed short sword so that his left would be free to handle the Evoker.

"And since I can't come with you guys," Akihiko continued, shooting a resentful look at Mitsuru who had her back to them as she was busy setting up a bunch of contraptions she had brought in her duffel bag, "I'll be assigning a field leader to make any necessary decisions."

Junpei's ears immediately perked up at the word _leader_. "Seriously?" he said grinning from ear to ear. "I got this, Senpai! Come on, pick me!" He was by now jumping on the balls of his feet with an arm in the air, but Akihiko quickly turned towards someone else.

"Makoto," the older student said placing a hand on the other's shoulder, "you're field leader."

"Understood," Makoto replied in his usual deadpan manner.

There was a sound like breaking glass as Junpei let his shoulders fall and jaw drop, staring dumbfounded at the two boys. "W-wait, whaaat?" Junpei stuttered in disbelief that Akihiko would choose the usually unresponsive Makoto over him to take charge. "Why're you making him leader? He doesn't even look the part!"

"But he _has_ fought them before," Yukari said. "That's more experience than either of us."

"That's not all," Akihiko joined in. "I made him leader because I know he'll be able to take charge when things get rough inside. Just like how he took charge of the situation back in the roof despite not being briefed on the details."

"Ugh, fine," Junpei groaned. They had joined SEES the same time but it seems like the rest of the team were already obviously favoring the blue-haired boy: there was the school chairman, Ikutsuki, who had known him since he was a kid; Mitsuru had suggested the expedition be postponed to give him time to recover; Akihiko already trusts him enough to appoint him leader; and Yukari, well she seemed really relieved to know they won't be going into the tower without him. All their attention was on Makoto. Junpei suddenly felt like dead weight.

"I for one am really apprehensive in sending only you three in there," Mitsuru said, "but it can't be helped." To be honest, she was having mixed feelings in appointing Makoto as field leader. He may be capable, but his personality would suggest he wasn't one for team play. Is it wise to have someone lead when you don't even know what they're thinking?

Makoto felt like he was being sized up so he turned around and caught Mitsuru looking at him. Caught off guard, she tried going back to her preparations but not before Makoto could try to assure her with, "I'll make sure that the three of us will get back safely."

"Wait, so what's Mitsuru-senpai going to do if she's not coming with us?" Yukari asked.

"Back up," Mitsuru spoke up tearing her eyes away from the blue-haired boy. "The inside of Tartarus past that portal is that of an ever-changing labyrinth. To make sure you don't get lost, I'll be scanning the floors from here and giving you audio back-up.

"Well, then," the redhead continued, "it's about time we started. You all have the watches the Chairman gave you?" Everyone nodded. All digital and analogue equipment are rendered inoperable in the Dark Hour. Thus, telling the time would be impossible with an ordinary watch. To curb this problem, Ikutsuki had given all of them specially made wristwatches to monitor how long they have left before the hour is up. "Make sure you are made aware of the time. I wouldn't like to imagine what would happen if the Dark Hour disappeared with us still inside this tower.

"Good luck."

Makoto who had been doing warm-ups, Junpei who had been swinging his sword, and Yukari who had been looking after her bow, nodded to the seniors then made their way up the stairs. They paused for a while to examine the portal, which looked like a green shimmering glass. Makoto reached out a hand and pushed. His arm disappeared up to his elbow. Seeing that it was somehow safe to continue, he motioned for the two to follow him. Soon, all three were swallowed up by the portal.

The experience of pushing through what felt like cold liquid gelatin wasn't at all a very bad feeling. At least it didn't feel sticky as Yukari thought. But the sudden transition of a lighted room to a darkened corridor was still jarring. There's also the fact that the portal seemed to have disappeared, and in its place a blank wall stood obstinately behind them.

"Whoa~ Talk about creepy, man...," Junpei commented as he stared at the solid walls and checkered floor with puddles of blood here and there. "Hey, what's with the Dark Hour and green anyway?"

"No idea," was Makoto's only reply.

_Can you all hear me?_

"Yes," Yukari answered as Mitsuru's voice came out of nowhere.

"Datchoo, Kirijo-senpai?" Junpei asked to the disembodied voice. "How're you doin' that?"

_My Persona has telepathic abilities. It provides me with a way to see inside Tartarus without having to be there physically. Unfortunately, I can't give the layout of the current floor to all of you since this is the extent my Penthesilea can manage. Thus that data would go directly to Yuki since he's the leader._

At that moment, Makoto was struck with the same vertigo he experienced that night on the rooftop. He could see the outline of an incomplete map in his head, three blinking lights standing stationary at the end of what looked like a corridor. He realized this was probably what Mitsuru meant by the only thing she could manage.

_Do you see it, Yuki?_

"Yes," came the blue hair's quick reply.

_I trust you'll make good use of this data. Well then, commence exploration._

Makoto led the way down the corridor, more areas were added to the outline in his head the further they walked. Could it be, Mitsuru's powers relied on having someone serve like an antenna. Perhaps her scanning was limited to a certain radius around the immediate surroundings of whoever was serving as the conduit. In this case, Makoto's immediate surroundings. Just as he was pondering this, a red blinking light came into view on his mental map.

_Take caution. There's a shadow further down that hall._

"I don't see anything," Yukari said, squinting at the darkness that permeated further in.

"Me, too," Junpei contributed, but Makoto only shushed them both with a quiet hiss as he cautiously advanced towards the red dot in his head. It seemed to be moving away from them, which would mean it had its back towards them. Makoto signaled for the two to follow as he stealthily ran up to where he thought the Shadow was. Soon, he could see a black mass crawling across the floor. But before he could make a move to surprise it, Junpei raised his sword up high and ran in with a battle cry.

"This one's mine!" The shadow had turned around at the sound of Junpei's noisy advance but it was too late. With a wide horizontal swing the shadow was cut through the middle and then disintegrated into a cloud of blood-colored smoke. "Well, that was easy," Junpei proudly proclaimed.

"Good," Makoto suddenly said, "because there's more coming this way." He pointed further down the hallway where he could see in his map more red dots that were headed towards their position, most probably alerted by Junpei's battle cry.

_Yuki's right! There's about five of them headed your way. Be careful!_

"Ugh, Stupei!" Yukari cried in frustration now that the element of surprise was no longer in their favor. "Why'd you have to be so loud!?"

"Oh, come on. We can beat those things easy!" Junpei cried back as he took out his Evoker.

As the first of the Shadow mob coming towards them came into view, Junpei pulled the trigger with the gun to his head instinctively shouting, "Hermes!" A shot of light broke from the other side of his head as a winged man materialized above. Makoto wondered if Junpei was seeing the same as he did when he first summoned his own Persona. But if the baseball cap did experience a fleeting sense of vertigo, it did not show as the creature above him made short work of the floating Shadows that seemed to be wearing crowns.

But there was no time to celebrate as a larger beetle-shaped Shadow came scuttling down the darkened corridor and attacked Junpei's Persona which shattered into pieces at the collision. A look of bewildered pain showed in his face as he undoubtedly felt the same thing his Persona experienced.

"Please help us, Io!" Yukari then shouted from behind them as she put the Evoker to her forehead and fired. A shot of light burst from behind her as the head of a bull took form above her. No, it was something that resembled a bull because of the horns, but with a young woman sitting in a cavity where its nose bridge should have been.

The beetle Shadow was advancing quickly but with a blast of wind from Yukari's Persona it was sent hurtling away as an arrow from Yukari's bow flew after it. The arrow found its mark on the Shadow's mask and it burst into smoke just like the others. Having served its purpose, Io receded into nothingness.

"See? Didn't I tell ya it'd be a piece of cake?" Junpei boasted, just as Makoto thrust his sword into the middle of a crawling Shadow's mask. "Nothing to worry about."

"Blood," Makoto pointed out to the baseball cap. It seemed in the midst of his careless assault, Junpei had injured his cheek just beneath his right eye, though it did not deter him.

"Pfft, Tis but a scratch," Junpei haughtily dismissed.

_This is no game, Iori. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. All of you need to be careful._

Junpei scowled as Mitsuru scolded him. He couldn't understand how she was being mad at him when he was able to single-handedly take down most of the mob. Makoto just stood and waited for the Shadows to come to him before doing them in, while _he_ on the other hand had acted in what he thought to be a heroic manner, dealing damage to several enemies at once.

"We should plan something then," Yukari suggested looking to their leader who was quietly standing further into the corridor. "To keep ourselves from being too reckless." She shot a disdainful look at Junpei as she said this.

"Ugh, I get it," Junpei said, still scowling. "So what do you want us to do, _leader_?" There was a clear emphasis on the last word, dripping with derision. Makoto was silent for a while before turning his head towards his comrades.

"I'll take the lead," Makoto said after a minute, "Takeba-san will follow close behind me. Junpei takes the rear." It seemed like a sensible formation so Yukari agreed instantly with a nod while Mitsuru also voiced out her assurance, Junpei on the other hand didn't take kindly to being pushed to the back.

"Wait, why do I get the rear?" Junpei complained thinking that if he was placed at the back then he wouldn't be able to see any action and thus Makoto, who chose the front for himself, would take all the glory in defeating the most number of Shadows. But the blue-haired boy only looked coldly at the cap wearing goatee with a raised eyebrow.

"Takeba-san will be vulnerable in close combat," Makoto started to explain. "She needs to stay between us. I know the layout and can see nearby enemies so I take the front. That leaves you with the rear." It was a summarized version of what he actually had in his head. From what Makoto saw of the earlier struggle, Junpei swung too wide and often lost his balance after. His moves were erratic and highly dangerous. If he were to take the front, Takeba-san would have a tough time aiming at the enemy and might accidentally hit him instead. Also, having both boys together in the back or the front might just lead to the blue hair's second hospitalization in two weeks. He believed it was better this way.

"Come on. The formation's fine. We're wasting time here," Yukari groaned as Junpei was still debating in his head whether to go with Makoto's plan or not. But it was three against one, so he had no choice but to give in. Thus the exploration continued...

Despite his initial misgivings, Junpei had enough self-control to stick with the agreed formation when they were traversing the corridors. Yukari would deal preemptive strikes on the Shadows while Makoto hacked them into pieces. If there were any survivors that got past the front, Yukari would only move behind Junpei so that he could cut them down. Though this did not give him much action since Yukari and Makoto's combination was enough to defeat any group of Shadows they meet in the hallways, Makoto relented by giving him free reign whenever they find themselves in a large enough space.

Their first expedition went fairly smoothly. Yet, there were times where Makoto would stop as he heard someone giggling every now and then, or the sound of a stringed instrument being plucked, or a quiet purr, or a flap of wings. But just as he'd try to focus on the sounds which it seemed only he could hear, they'd vanish without so much as an echo. Soon, the boy just tuned these sounds out as they continued.

_Good work, everyone. I see that's about enough experience for your first foray. I can sense an access point near your location. Using it will return you to the lobby._

"Got it," Yukari replied. "Well, let's call it a night, you guys."

"Sure," Junpei agreed. "I was getting pretty tired anyway."

"Maybe because you were swinging that sword of yours too wide. It'll tire anyone out."

"Yeah, well, you look pretty beat yourself, Yukatan."

"I'm having a tough time catching my breath actually... What's up with that?"

_It's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry though, you'll adapt in time. But for now, let's end the expedition here._

With fatigue eating away their stamina, the three high school students made their way towards the aforementioned access point as the blue-haired Makoto led the way. But just as they left a corridor and into a large alcove, the ground and walls started shaking as a rumbling sound coming from somewhere above grew louder.

"Wait, what's happening?" Yukari shrieked as she tried to maintain her footing.

"Is it an earthquake?" Junpei cried out as he too found it hard to remain balanced.

"No," Makoto answered. In his mental map, there appeared a rather large red dot and it was speeding towards their rear. "It's coming." He tightened his grip on the short sword in his right, while his left hovered somewhere near the gun strapped to his waist. "Get out of the way!"

Makoto had waited until the last minute to shout to his team mates just in case the incoming Shadow might change course and go after one of them when they were spread out. But the split second warning was all they needed as a large mechanical creature sped past them then halting abruptly at the center of the open space. It was a large thing with sharp pointed implements for arms and two wheels beneath its torso with three legs appended around each. It gleamed bluish silver in the non-existent light of the labyrinth.

_Be careful! That Shadow's a strong one!_

"Gee, thanks. As if that wasn't obvious!" Yukari snapped at Mitsuru's disembodied voice.

"Hah! Man, I got this." Junpei took out his Evoker and summoned Hermes. The Persona then swooped in the instant it materialized; it was going to cleave through the Shadow with its sharp wings just like he did countless times earlier. But just as Hermes closed in on the enemy, it started spinning on the spot, easily deflecting the attack. "What?!"

With any semblance of their formation lost, Yukari took out her own Evoker and summoned her Persona, Io. The continued spinning of the enemy would only deflect her arrows so she had no choice but use an elemental attack. Io arched her back as she conjured a whirl of wind beneath the Shadow's feet. But this attack was to no avail as the enemy only spun faster, matching the speed of Io's whirlwind. "No way!"

The Shadow stopped its spinning and instead started charging at the two Persona-users who had just attacked it. Their last summoning had taken much of the energy they had left, Yukari and Junpei could only stare as the monster closed in. Just then, a blast of fire erupted behind it, forcing it to stop its charge and turn around. There stood the blue-haired Makoto with an Evoker to his temple, the mechanical body of Orpheus hovering above him.

Seeing that this other opponent still had some energy left, the Shadow turned to face Makoto and then charged in. Just as it was about to close in however, Makoto did a forward roll to his left keeping his sword perpendicular to the floor with the blade away from his torso. At the same time, he had Orpheus attack with another blast of fire.

The large Shadow kept spinning and charging single-mindedly as Makoto continued to weave and dodge using Orpheus to rain fire down on the enemy. But such tactics won't last long since even he was feeling the effects of a prolonged battle on his psyche. Soon he'd run out of gas and won't be able to summon Orpheus. But just as he was thinking of a way to finally end this battle, Orpheus dealt a direct hit to the Shadow's head making it stop attacking as it was momentarily disoriented.

Makoto only then recalled how a few Shadows were able to put up a fight even as they were cut down, while there were some who crumbled easily as soon as they got a taste of his blade. The ones that fell quickly were the ones he had destroyed the masks without particularly meaning to. Apparently, destroying a Shadow's mask was akin to a head shot in a shooter game: instant kill.

Realizing what he had to do, Makoto dismissed Orpheus, to the shock of Junpei and Yukari. They had mistook the Persona's disappearance as a sign of their leader's growing fatigue. But then the blue-haired boy stood up and repositioned the sword in his hand. He took one look at the silver Shadow, who was by now getting ready for another charge. Then, in a split second, he charged towards the enemy as it, too, advanced towards him. The distance between them was being greatly reduced, but it was obvious that a collision between the two would cause considerable damage to Makoto but would leave the Shadow unscathed. Yet at the last moment Makoto fired the Evoker he was holding in his left to his temple. Orpheus materialized instantly in front of him, and with a shift in weight, the boy jumped off the floor and unto the waiting back of his Persona, using it as a leverage to gain more altitude.

Just as the distance between the boy and the monster was mere inches away, Makoto had greatly reduced the difference in height. He extended his sword arm while airborne and pierced the Shadow's mask which shattered causing its whole body to disintegrate and dissolve into a cloud of smoke. And as the floor came up to meet him, Makoto crouched his body forward and then rolled as soon as his feet touched the ground to reduce the impact of his landing.

"Wow," Yukari whispered in awe as the blue-haired boy got up to his feet again amidst a cloud of reddish smoke. "So that's how a _real_ Persona-user fights." She had put a certain weight on the word real without realizing it, which irked Junpei who was only now getting back the strength to stand up.

Instead of being thankful that he was saved, he felt more resentful that it wasn't him that did the saving. Finding out he had powers had overjoyed him since it gave him something none of his other classmates could do. But even here, he realized he wasn't allowed to shine. _I could've done that, too_, he thought bitterly to himself as Yukari ran towards Makoto who had stumbled to the ground.

The blue-haired boy looked worst for wear, finding it hard for himself to keep standing on his own. That last hit took a lot out of him, and one misstep would have spelt his most certain death. Yet a lack of self-preservation kept him from thinking this, even if others did.

Mitsuru had seen everything through the eyes of Penthesilea, her Persona. The way Makoto had charged head on towards the hulking figure of his enemy had momentarily caught her breath in her throat without her realizing it. But what took her more by surprise was how the boy had landed the last hit that took out the weakened Shadow. She must admit it was an impressive feat, and couldn't help her feelings as a memory stirred within her.

_Did he looked that beautiful back then, I wonder_, she mused sadly to herself as the sight of her three juniors, with the familiar blue-haired boy in front, appeared at the top of the stairs.

* * *

**AFTERWORD**:

(2017.05.10) Most of my "rewrites" are really just about correcting Mitsuru's behaviour towards Makoto. Heh.


	7. The Empress Flowers

"READY YET?"

A tiny head of dark purple hair stood stationary beneath the canopy of a tree whose crown was filled with flowers three shades lighter than hers. She had her hands over her eyes as she faced the tree which hugged her with its sunken trunk. The rustle of leaves and muffled laughter being carried by the wind to her small delicate ears.

"NOT YET!"

The boy replied from behind a similar tree, five trunks down from where his friend was counting. His blue-black hair dancing with the gentle spring breeze of that pleasant afternoon. Taking care to make as little as to no sound to keep the girl from knowing his position, he took tiptoeing strides further down the grove in search of his other friend.

She was standing in a clearing, underneath a large tree-the tallest, thickest, and most beautiful in a grove filled with its kind. The girl with twin tails of red hair, made no move to hide herself as the sound of muffled footsteps grew nearer behind her. With head cocked back and face towards the heavens, the boy thought for a single mad moment that she was glowing under the light that penetrated through the thick leaves above.

"Miichan?" he called out, as quietly as he could.

The girl lowered her head and turned around to meet the pair of clear, grey eyes of the blue-haired boy behind her. A warm smile tickled her lips at the sight of him approaching, caution thrown to the wind as he did not even glance behind him to see if their purple-haired friend had decided to look for them whether they were ready or not. He just stared at her.

"Makkun?" she spoke in a small voice, almost a whisper.

The effect was the same as snapping a finger underneath his nose, making the girl, Miichan, giggle. He blinked a few times before realizing that he had walked into the clearing, his cover utterly lost. He turned around quickly and scanned the rows and rows of purple-crowned trees, searching for a head of a darker shade.

"What're you doing out in the open?" the boy, Makkun, said in an exasperated tone as he turned to face his red-haired friend who was still quietly giggling. "And what's so funny?" He took a few more steps towards Miichan, despite a voice in his head telling him that if they didn't find cover soon, the other girl was going to spot them where they stood.

"You are," Miichan replied between giggles.

"The heck's that about?" Makkun replied frowning.

"Oh come on, Makkun. Lighten up!" Miichan gently admonished him. "Let her win from time to time. Besides, I'm tired. Let's just sit down here a while. Okay?"

He paused where he stood, then...

"Oui," Makkun sighed after a minute of internal deliberation. He didn't liked the idea of handing out victories but the red hair was right. They had been playing for the whole of the afternoon now, and their smallest friend was still playing the part of the _demon_. He should probably cut her some slack and take it easy-just this once, at least.

"Très bien!" the girl exclaimed happily as she sat herself down in a large gap between the tree's roots, her back leaning on its trunk. The boy followed suit as he sat down right next to her, their shoulders touching.

"What _were_ you doing here anyway?" Makkun asked his friend.

"Rien," Miichan replied in a decisively casual tone. "I just wanted to see Mother Empress."

The boy looked up at the branches of the tree they were resting under. It was the tallest, thickest, and most beautiful one out of all the other Empress Trees in this entire orchard: the Mother Empress. They were told that it was planted here even before Granpa Kouetsu was even born, which makes it a very old tree indeed befitting its name.

"What's with all the Empress Trees anyway?" Makkun asked, fingering a distinguished whorl on the thick root to his left. He heard that it was important to Miichan's family somehow but never really understood how and why it was important exactly.

The red-haired girl fell silent for a while before taking to her feet and disappearing around the tree. Makkun watched, a little worried if he somehow offended her by asking a question she had no answer to. But Miichan was gone for only a second before returning to his side with a single purple flower in both her hands.

"Take a look at this," she said.

"I am looking," the boy replied not understanding.

"I mean _really_ look at it," she beckoned to him; holding the tubular flower by its calyx and positioning it at an angle where the only thing he saw were the petals face first. The flower had five petals that looked like wavy triangles bunched together with their points facing outwards; dark purple veins extending from its center and running parallel along each petal. It looked strangely familiar.

"The Kirijo Family's insignia," Makkun muttered as the resemblance of the flower's face and the Kirijo symbol dawned on him. It was something he was very familiar with since there was no way one can walk inside the Kirijo Mansion or the Kirijo Group offices without at least seeing the flower on the front doors. It was also printed on everything the Group produced and did.

"Exacte!" Miichan was beaming proudly as her friend was able to see the similarities. "The Kirijo Family insignia is that of the Empress Tree's flower. That's why we maintain a lot of them here in the backyard," she explained as she twirled the purpler flower around in her fingers, its fragrant scent gently tickling her nose.

"But why?" the boy asked a second time still not understanding.

"What do you mean _why_?" the girl asked in return, becoming confused as well.

"I mean... the Empress Tree's not actually rare to begin with," Makkun argued. "It's not that hard to plant one of these things well-anywhere. So what's the big deal? Why choose something so common to be the insignia of a family as prominent as yours?"

Miichan smiled patiently at her blue-haired friend. This was one of the things she liked about him. Where other children her age would distance themselves from her, or put her in a pedestal because of her family name, Makkun didn't. Where other people would just agree with her, he argues. He was headstrong and didn't let things like social status dictate how he deals with people. He simply spoke his mind.

"The name Kirijo is formed by two characters," the redhead started to explain. "The first character, do you know what it stands for?" The boy shook his head. "It means Paulownia."

"Paulownia? You mean like Paulownia Mall?" the boy asked.

"It is Paulownia Mall," the girl agreed. "And the Empress Tree, well, its binomial name is actually Paulownia tomentosa of the genus Paulownia. See now?" Realization dawned on the boys' face at these words making the girl smile more brightly than before. "My ancestors didn't choose this flower as the family symbol because they particularly wanted to. It became the Kirijo Family symbol because it was supposed to," she finished proudly.

"Well, I learned something new today," was all Makkun could say.

"C'est bien!" Miichan laughed before continuing, "Though I don't agree with how you said that Mother Empress was a rather common tree-as if it was a bad thing." The boy suddenly looked worried.

"Hey, I didn't say that Mother Empress herself was common! All I said-"

"Hush, Makkun. I'm not mad," Miichan consoled her friend. "But being common isn't really all that bad. Look at the Empress Tree's characteristics: it grows and spreads fast-just like how the Kirijo Group covers various industries; it can weather even a wildfire-just like the way the Group was able to get back up after separating from the Nanjo Conglomerate; and its tolerant to pollution and can thrive in almost any kind of soil-no matter what happens, the Kirijo Group can also thrive, even overseas." Miichan paused for a while letting her words sink in. "Because of all the hard work of those before us, the Kirijo Group is now a common household name. So you see, Makkun? Being common isn't such a bad thing after all."

"I see," Makkun nodded to his friend and smiled a bit to himself for being naive.

There was a moment of silence between them as an understanding was reached. The pleasant breeze of the late afternoon swaying against Mother Empress' purple crown. They continued to sit underneath the shade of that magnificent tree in peace. And without her realizing it, the seven-year-old Mitsuru placed her head on the six-year-old Makoto's shoulder with a sigh; the Empress flower held between their hands.

And they stayed like that, even as the wind carried their names from beyond the trees.

* * *

**VIII. The Empress Flowers**

* * *

"Welcome to Rafflesia!"

There were rows upon rows of colors. There were white lilies, white roses, red roses, pink gerberas, pink tulips, yellow tulips, yellow daffodils, yellow sunflowers. There were also lilac and peach flowers, orange and rust bouquets, blue and purple arrangements, and lush green bonsai trees of varying sizes. But there was no Rafflesia-in sight or smell.

Well, he didn't think there'd be one; besides, that's not what he came for anyway.

Makoto's eyes combed through the flowers inside pots, vases, baskets, and even in the bouquets by the counter; in search of that purple flower from his dream the other day. He knew them to be real because he saw the same kind adorning the table by his hospital bed the day he awoke, thus he was bound to at least see them here. He thought surely this was the place where they were bought.

Then just as his gaze passed a cluster of lavenders, he saw it. There in between the lilacs and the hydrangea and the rhododendrons was a bundle of tubular light purple flowers with dark purple veins. He looked at the card in front of it to see the flowers' name.

"Foxglove...," he read.

"That's wrong actually."

The blue-haired boy looked up to see a short girl with teal-colored hair standing beside him and looking at the same flowers he was. She was wearing a Gekkoukan high school uniform.

"Wrong?" he asked.

"Y-yes," the girl stammered. "Those are actually flowers from the Empress Tree. They're both tubular and purple in color so maybe that's where they got confused; but the foxgloves are heavily spotted while the empress' is veined.

Makoto straightened up and looked at the girl as she explained. Seeing that he was staring, the girl quickly turned red and hurriedly bowed to him saying, "I-I'm sorry-that was rude of me: giving such information without being asked..."

But before Makoto could tell her that he didn't think her rude at all, a flower shop employee came by and handed a bouquet of varied colors to the teal-haired girl. She took the flowers and bowed to the employee, spared him a glance, and then walked away.

Well, at least now he knew the difference between the foxglove and the empress, so he pointed this out to the employee standing there, who checked in with the manager. They then found out that there had been a mix-up: the cards were switched by mistake when they were rearranging the flowers by color, and they actually do have foxgloves-so he could buy those if he wanted but the boy told them he wanted the ones from the Empress Tree and bought that instead.

After paying for his purchase, Makoto walked out of the flower shop carrying a bouquet of fragrant, purple, Empress flowers in hand.

"Man, I knew it. You're dating someone," said a sandy-haired boy wearing a Gekkoukan uniform, waiting at the foot of the stairs that led up to the station. It was his classmate, Kenji Tomochika; and he was grinning like an idiot at the sight of Makoto holding a bunch of flowers. "Dude, so who is it? It's Takeba-san, right? Damn, you move fast. I can't blame you, though. A man's gotta be aggressive nowadays," Kenji said slapping the other boy in the back.

"They're not for her," Makoto simply said.

"Eh?" Kenji cried out in surprise. "Wait, so-don't tell me it's for Kirijo-senpai?!" His eyes went wide in shock unbelieving that his normally quiet classmate could be so brave. "Do you have a death wish or something? You're going after _the_ Mitsuru Kirijo? Dude, the rest of the school's gonna kill you when they find out!"

"They're not for her, either," Makoto said dismissively, shutting Kenji up.

"Uh, so who're they for then?" Kenji gently probed, squinting his eyes to see if Makoto was lying about not buying the flowers for the purpose of giving it to either of his female dorm mates.

But the blue hair only blinked at him and said, "Secret."

They stared at each other for a few seconds as people walked past them. It was a rather queer picture if one was to ask a passerby: two high school boys staring closely into each other's eyes as one of them holds a bouquet of beautifully fragrant flowers in his hands. Some even gave them second glances as they passed.

"Fine," Kenji gave up. "If you ain't telling then I won't force you. I'm not interested in either of them anyway. I like girls with a little more experience, if you know what I mean." He then looked to the station clock. "Come on, let's go. I'm starved."

"Junpei?" Makoto suddenly asked, looking around for signs of the baseball cap.

"Huh?" Kenji said turning around. "Oh, he ran off a short while ago. Said something about a new game release and then took off like the hounds of hell were after him. Man, that dude's such a geek." And without another word, both boys left the station square.

Junpei had been the one to invite Makoto to eat out. He said something about not wanting to eat anymore of Akihiko's "protein shit diet", since it was the silver-haired boxing champ's turn to cook this week with Mitsuru's turn being last week-the week Makoto spent sleeping in the hospital, so he had no idea how it went. Junpei then invited Makoto along as an accomplice for ditching dinner at the dorm. But now he just took off, even though it had seemed like he was looking forward to eating ramen that afternoon.

Kenji said that if it came to ramen, Hagakure was the place to be. It was located on the second floor of the strip mall near the monorail station, and was almost always packed with patrons. Fortunately, the two were able to get seats at the bar as soon as they arrived. They then ordered two large bowls of the special.

"So be real with me, Yuki-san," Kenji suddenly spoke up as they waited for the order to arrive. "Is there really nothing going on with you and Takeba-san? I mean, she doesn't talk with the boys much. I'm not including Junpei since apparently his sole purpose in life is to annoy all the girls. But you... Well, she seems nicer to you. What's up with that?"

Makoto thought about this. He didn't really think that Yukari was being nicer to him compared to their other male classmates. To him, it felt like she was just being civil. They somehow found themselves going to school together a couple of times, but that was to be expected since they did live in the same dorm. He didn't find anything strange in any of their interactions.

"No idea," came Makoto's reply. "At the very least, we're not dating."

"Hmm... Well, I believe you," Kenji finally said nodding his head vigorously. "But you know, it wouldn't be all that bad to try and date someone. I'm hearing a ton of rumors how a lot of the first years find you interesting. So I thought you'd have received at least one love letter by now." He then paused. "You haven't received one yet, right?" Makoto simply nodded in answer. "Well, at least take my advice and try to go out with someone. You wouldn't want to spend your high school days in the same routine over and over: wake up, go to school, listen to lame-ass lectures, come home, eat, watch TV, then conk out right after; rinse and repeat."

For a while, the blue-haired boy was silent. He wasn't exactly sure if he was being indirectly criticized since everything his classmate had said was a rather apt description of how he's been living his life so far. He never actually thought about where his life was headed, just letting fate direct him wherever it wished. Until now, he'd been living life just blindly placing one foot over the other, trying to get past the day just to do the same things all over again tomorrow. Yes, he was an honor student. Yes, he practiced the way of the sword. But he only excelled in those because he had nothing else to look forward to. At least by studying or practicing, his life had some semblance of order that seemed to be headed somewhere.

"Oh, good our food's here," Kenji said, pulling Makoto from his introspection. "Let's eat!" The blue-haired boy watched as his classmate began to slurp down the noodles and soup with great gusto, when he remembered something.

"You don't have a girlfriend, too, you know," Makoto blurted out.

"Huh?" Kenji stopped, looked at Makoto, swallowed a mouthful of noodles, and grinned. "Not yet my friend, but just you wait. I'm actually into someone right now. But it's rather complicated." He then turned back to his soup before an idea struck him, "I know! I should make you my wing man!" Kenji then looked at Makoto as if he was sizing him up. "Yeah, you have this mature, cool aura around you that might help. Oh, but man, you should really eat your ramen before the noodles get soggy, I'll tell you more some other time." And he turned back to his noodles without another word, but Makoto felt like he was probably going to get drag into something bothersome before he started eating as well.

_We shall guide you in attaining your dreams_

_Thus, may your will be stern_

_And your determination unfailing_

_The Magician grants you blessing_

Makoto looked up from his bowl as he heard someone whispering into his ear. He cocked his head to one side, waiting for the voices to return. When they did not return however, he went back to his noodles; barely aware that someone left a snow globe on the counter right next to where he placed the empress flowers. Inside it stood an odd-looking snow man with limbs and wearing a blue jester's hat.

It seemed to be smiling at him.

* * *

**AFTERWORD:**

So I guess I'll be doing things like this from now on.

Well, here we got another scene taken from Makoto's past. Honestly, these flashbacks are largely just an excuse of mine to writing a bunch of MitsuMakoto-ccentric fluff since I can't very well do that in the story proper just yet due to our protagonist being rather emotionally unavailable at this time. So yeah, all you'll be getting from me is a pair of seven-year-olds being cute together.

But hey, I enjoyed writing the flashback here. I was actually listening to Savage Garden's _I Knew I Loved You_ on loop. I don't know why that song helped, it just started playing in the radio when I was in the car on my way home from the cinema and it stuck. Also, I know zilch about flowers and plants and the likes outside of Wikipedia, so if I wrote something incorrectly then shoot me... a PM.

Then there's the Magician Social Link which I basically just condensed in this chapter -written while listening to Hanson's _Mmmbop_. And a note about the voices and why I didn't write something similar for the Fool Social Link when he first joined SEES: my plan is that Makoto would only be able to use Personas of a particular Arcana once he has established its corresponding Social Link. And since he already had Orpheus, I didn't see a point to voices telling him he could use the power of the Fool Arcana. At least, that's how I'm interpreting the EXP Bonus of the Fusion mechanic from the game into a narrative. More Social Links = More Personas!

What else... oh yeah, Fuuka made a cameo. And... the snow globe... there's something there... or maybe not. Honestly, I have no idea. I'm in part just writing this because I, too, want to know what happens to Makoto in this story. So yeah, review the chapter if you have the time, or send me a PM. I swear the advice helps -I'm talking to you Prince.

Okay, that was long. Cheers!


	8. The Purpose of the Way

_Huff, huff_...

Clouds formed in front of their mouths with every exhaled breath. The thumping of their feet against the ground creating a sound like that of the beating of drums in a dragon boat: rhythmic, steady, strong. The steady flow of sweat tracing along the sinews of their necks, arms, and legs. The heat emanating from their bodies guarding against the cold of the early morning air. The chilly wind caressing their drenched hairs: one silver, the other blue. Truly, a sight to behold man's dedication to the perfection of his physical being.

They've been running close to an hour, and if it weren't for his injury and week's duty, Akihiko might have continued running further even beyond two. But as their wristwatches sounded off the end of the hour, both boys slowed down to a halt; easing their muscles to relax. With sweat dripping even onto the floor, their clothes drenched, and their breaths heavy, the silver-haired boy directed his blue-haired junior towards the steps of Naganaki Shrine and there rested.

"You're actually pretty kind aren't you, Makoto?" Akihiko suddenly said, catching his breath. Makoto, on the other hand, just blinked at the older boy in silence at this question. "I could tell that you were matching my pace," he panted as he looked to the blue-haired boy, "even though you could have ran further. Sorry for slowing you down."

"It's okay," Makoto replied as he reached for the water bottle strapped to his thigh and drank.

"If only I hadn't been injured, we could've raced," Akihiko said as he, too, reached for his own water bottle and drank from it. He drank continuously without blinking and drained the bottle in one go while Makoto watched.

"But is it okay," the blue-haired boy then asked, "for you to even be jogging?"

"Eh, it was a quick run anyway," the other boy replied, replacing his water bottle in its strap.

"It was an hour long."

"But the pace was slow, and I'm wearing a technical shirt so I'm fine."

"O-kay," Makoto simply said as he looked away, and instead gazed upon the sky as the sun barely peeked out from behind a low-rise apartment building. They probably still had time before the others, especially Mitsuru, wake up.

"Hey, Makoto." The younger boy turned his head to face his upperclassman. "When did you start practicing kendo?," Akihiko asked as he stared at the slowly waking sun. "Personally, I started boxing in middle school. But you, on the other hand, looked as if you've been doing kendo far longer than that."

"Nine years ago," came the quick reply, "or so I think."

"Or so you think?" Akihiko asked, raising an eyebrow and staring at Makoto instead of the sky. It was natural to forget the exact year one started doing something, but he just somehow found the boy's wording to be a little strange: it was as if someone else told him he started kendo nine years ago. "Don't you remember?"

The younger boy was then silent for a while. His amnesia wasn't common knowledge in the dorms, or anywhere else for that matter. As far as Makoto could see, Ikutsuki and his self were the only ones who knew about it. Although, he wasn't particularly sure exactly why it was a secret-or if it actually was a secret to begin with. He never told anyone basically because it was never actually relevant. People rarely cared to ask him about his past anyway. No, his condition wasn't a secret at all.

"I don't remember," Makoto finally replied.

"What do you mean?" Akihiko asked, seemingly confused.

"I don't remember anything earlier than 2000," Makoto flatly stated.

The sun was now reaching the top of the low-rise apartment yet Akihiko didn't seem to notice that their time was becoming scarce. They still needed to return to the dorm before Mitsuru found out Akihiko had been jogging despite his injured ribs, even if he was wearing a technical shirt. But he was more concerned with what the blue-haired boy just said.

_Couldn't remember anything beyond 2000? Wait-that night he got back from the hospital, Ikutsuki said something about his condition. The reason why the Kirijo Group had him under surveillance... was because he was an amnesiac?_

"Is this somehow related to the accident 10 years ago?" Akihiko asked tentatively. "The one where your parents died?"

"Yes," Makoto said in his usual emotionless tone. "I don't remember anything seven years prior the accident; and a year after it. My memory goes as far back as nine years ago, but nothing further." He kept silent about the dream he had upon waking in the hospital: though he believed it to be an actual memory from beyond nine years ago, it was too early.

"Is that why you're unsure when you said that you started kendo nine years ago? Because maybe you started earlier than that?" said Akihiko. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going by asking these questions aside from trying to understand what the boy was going through. He knew not how to help him, if even the Kirijo Group couldn't after all these years.

Makoto gently shook his head and said, "Not really. I was told I did fencing before the accident, but Grandfather wanted me to do something closer to Japan that's why he enrolled me in kendo whilst abroad." But since he couldn't remember anything prior the accident, the part about fencing was hearsay to Makoto. His uncertainty came from that.

"Fencing, huh. Just like Mitsuru..."

_Maybe that's why he was competent enough in using a one-handed sword despite doing kendo, which made use of swords held in both hands: he did fencing before. But... doesn't that mean he could still remember something about his past after all?_

Just then, both boys' wristwatches started vibrating, signalling that thirty minutes had already passed since they had stopped running. A rooster crowed somewhere in the distance.

"Fuck," Akihiko swore, hurriedly getting to his feet-the conversation momentarily pushed to the back of his head. "We need to get back to the dorm. Come on." He started quick but had to slow down after a few steps. Makoto on the other hand just stared at the sun which was now trying to crawl its way to the top of a high-rise apartment building before catching up to his silver-haired upperclassman in one burst.

Soon-meaning twenty minutes later-the two boys arrived at Iwatodai Dorm. Hoping against all hope that the rest of their dorm mates were still asleep-especially a certain red-haired girl-Akihiko opened the front door of the building. She was there, waiting.

"And where have you been, Akihiko?" came Mitsuru's silky voice which betrayed the utter severity of her glare. "The kitchen was your responsibility for a week, was it not?"

"Uh-uhm. I-I, we..." Akihiko stuttered pulling Makoto, who had refused to quickly enter the foyer, through the door and beside him. "M-makoto and I, we, uh, just went out for a-a-a bit of a-a walk. Quick walk. Isn't that right, Makoto?" He gripped the boy's arm tightly.

Makoto nodded in agreement to Akihiko's statement about taking a walk, though they were sweating profusely. The smile on Mitsuru's lips only grew which, though undoubtedly beautiful, scared both boys to the very core of their beings in a way they couldn't have possibly imagined. Even Makoto's eyes were slowly reflecting the chill he felt down his spine.

"Yuki," Mitsuru purred in a surprisingly non-sensual way, "To your room, please."

"Yes, ma'am," Makoto quickly replied then proceeded to leave for the stairs without looking back, abandoning Akihiko who was coldly sweating by the door. _Be strong, Akihiko-san._

Upon entering his bedroom, Makoto quickly closed the door and walked across the room. But before he could reach his bed, he went back to the door and locked it, just to be safe. Curious how he could stand up to an eight-foot mechanical monster but almost tremble at the sight of Mitsuru's angry smile. It felt like to welcome death was to be a lot easier than to anger the Kirijo heiress.

Taking an atomizer from the sink in his room, Makoto then walked towards the vase of flowers by his window, trying to keep his mind from Akihiko's fate a floor below. He was spraying the purple petals when a shout, wrenched with despair, burst through the floorboards. He placed the spray down next to the vase then put his hands together and closed his eyes.

"Rest well, Akihiko-san."

* * *

**IX. The Purpose of the Way**

* * *

"HYAAA!"

A shout rang forth from both armored combatants as they advanced towards each other.

The White Swordsman made a move to hit the Red Swordsman's throat; straightening his arms and pushing his sword forwards as he took a single step inside. But the Red Swordsman raised his sword and parried upwards, pushing the opponent's sword into that direction. The move was unfortunate for him.

The White Swordsman changed his strike movement from a thrust to a cut: his sword now aiming down at the top of the Red Swordsman's head. But the Red Swordsman bent his knees in time as he pushed upwards once again with his sword, stopping the attack just an inch from his head. He then took his opponent's lost in initiative as a chance to horizontally slash at the side of the White Swordsman's torso.

Yet the attack did not made contact as the White Swordsman rotated his sword to point downwards, blocking the attack in time. The Red Swordsman's movement could no longer continue thus he had no choice but to push his sword's guard while the other righted his sword in a deadlock.

For a while their swords remained crossed, both calculating the odds of the other moving in to attack as soon as they released the pressure of the lock. Both gave in.

The two swordsman slowly took a couple steps back from each other, their swords pointing at the other's chest. Then both stopped as the tips of their weapons where mere centimeters apart. The deciding move would now be a matter of who was faster.

In an attempt to taunt his opponent, the White Swordsman made tapping flicks at the Red Swordsman's sword hoping to a crack a nerve. He did this twice, thrice, four times; but the Red Swordsman only deflected such tactics with a twist of the wrist and remained his ground. Yet then, the Red Swordsman moved in close.

Imitating his opponent's initial moves, the Red Swordsman pushed his sword towards the White Swordsman's throat. The White Swordsman beat it aside, taking a step backwards. The Red Swordsman changed tactics as well and went for the head; but unlike earlier where the White Swordsman struck down to hit the top of his, the Red Swordsman was aiming at the right side of his opponent's head with a diagonal downward slash from overhead. The White Swordsman moved to deflect this one as well.

Yet that last assault was a feint, so the parry did not connect and the Red Swordsman's sword was now coming down the left of the White Swordsman's head. Becoming increasingly flustered at the other swordsman's consecutive attempts to land a hit at different parts of his body, the White Swordsman instinctively moved his sword to block this incoming attack. But that, too, was a feint.

The Red Swordsman had actually over-arched his sword above the White Swordsman's head, so the clockwise movement of his weapon was not in fact directed at the other side of the White Swordsman's head but instead was for his torso. However, the White Swordsman's final bid to protect himself by raising his sword to protect his head had left his abdomen defenseless. Yet, he was able to see his folly at the very last second thus he took another step backwards with his left leg in order to back away from the incoming attack.

His left knee suddenly locked in place and could not support the incoming weight of his shift in balance. To stand still was all he could do as to not fall over, but this rendered him utterly vulnerable. The Red Swordsman's sword then came crushing down and making contact with the side of his armor with a loud, clear thwack.

A cheer erupted as the air was adorned with red.

The score had been tied at one point each as the clock was nearing the three-minute time limit. But as the Red Swordsman looked around, he could see that the referees all had their red flags raised in the air, effectively rewarding him his second point. This match was his.

The Red Swordsman backed away from the White Swordsman. The White Swordsman stiffly stayed where he stood. Both bowed to one another, then walked off stage.

As he reached the sides, the swordsman with the red flag tied to his armor removed his helmet to reveal a mop of blue-black hair drenched in sweat. It was only his first day of practice with the Gekkoukan Kendo Club, but it was apparent they hadn't let him join just to take it easy on him. He could see they were a competitive bunch, especially the person he had sparred with just a while ago.

"Here you go, Yuki-san!"

As he placed his bamboo sword leaning on the wall, Makoto turned around to see a tanned girl in a tracksuit handing him a towel and a water bottle. She was a fellow junior from a different class and is the club manager, Yuko Nishiwaki.

"Thank you," Makoto said, bowing his head slightly as he received the towel and bottle with both hands. Yuko took his helmet in exchange.

"That was really something, Yuki-san!" Yuko then started talking. "Everyone was, like, so amazed at your performance just now. Even the seniors were impressed." She seemed genuinely in awe of him as she kept smiling all the while. "Looks like Kaz just found himself some serious competition."

"You can say that again," said an armored boy with spiky black hair: Kazushi Miyamoto, a candidate for the Kendo Club captaincy and fellow classmate to Makoto. "God, you floored me good this match. And here I thought I almost had you when I aimed for a _tsuki_." He, too, left his sword to lean on the wall right next to Makoto's as Yuko handed him a towel and water bottle, which he exchanged with his own helmet.

"Yeah! I didn't even see you had thrust out at Yuki-san's throat," Yuko agreed enthusiastically.

"But Yuki did," replied Kazushi with a sheepish grin.

"That was a fail," Makoto said in his usual manner. "I only gave you a chance to go for a _men_."

"True," Kazushi replied, "but you saw that fault quickly and ducked out in time. That sure as hell was still impressive." He sounded sad despite the awe and respect mixed in. Makoto took note of his classmate's tone as he continued. "Those feints though! You moved so fast I couldn't even keep up! I guess I need to train harder, eh."

"Oi, Nishiwaki-chan! Where's my towel?" shouted another member from down the wall.

"Wait, it'll be right there!" Yuko shouted back before turning to the two juniors. "Well, I better get back to work. Great match, you guys!" She gave both boys back their helmets and then ran off.

"Well, practice is about over so I'm gonna head back to my side," Kazushi said as Yuko was by now giving the other members an earful. "Great match, bro..." He then raised a hand up to Makoto in offer of a handshake. "But I'm gonna beat you next time."

Makoto raised his own and shook Kazushi's hand in a firm grip.

"Let's see."

_We offer you guidance_

_Thus, may you have the freedom_

_To pursue your own goals_

_The Chariot grants you blessing_

He then retrieved his bamboo sword that was leaning on the wall. It had a drawing of the aggressive human spirit in Japanese culture on the hilt: a _mitama_. His grandfather had drawn it there for him so that he may fight with valor just like of warriors of old by invoking their _kami_.

Soon practice ended.

"Isn't that Sanada-senpai?" Yuko said pointing to a familiar silver-haired figure.

They were walking together through the courtyard from the gym after club activities. Makoto and Kazushi had helped Yuko in putting all the equipment into the designated club room and thus they were the only ones from the Kendo Club left. But apparently, they weren't the only ones in school left. Well, it was still early anyway.

"He looks kinda down," Yuko remarked.

"Yeah," Kazushi agreed. "Junpei said something about Kirijo-senpai confiscating all of Sanada-senpai's workout equipment from his room, as punishment. Wonder what happened..."

"Well, I heard he's injured. It wouldn't do good if he trained like that," Yuko said as the sight of the upperclassman disappeared into the main building. Makoto kept silent during the whole conversation, but as they reached the center of the pathway he stopped.

The two other students stopped as well and watched as Makoto knelt down and picked up a single leaf off the floor. Judging from the way the petiole seemed unevenly cut, Makoto deduced that someone had plucked it off a tree.

It was a large leaf of a healthy green color with symmetrical veins running either side of its midrib. Deciding what to do, he took out a book from his bag-a short story collection by Tadashi Atoda-and left the leaf in between its pages.

"You're really something," Kazushi commented as he and Yuko stood by and watched, "doing things at your own pace like that."

"You're one to talk," Yuko interjected, "disregarding the proper school uniform and wearing just that tracksuit of yours. I sometimes wonder if you even change out of that."

"Of course I do! And what's wrong with wearing a tracksuit? It's a school-issued uniform-"

"For P.E. and not for every goddamn class! Ugh..."

And they continued bickering like that even until they got off the monorail at Iwatodai Station. Makoto didn't pay them mind though and just wore his earphones while he read Atoda; amidst arguments of proper maintenance of kendo equipment, established balanced diets, and why the idol Sato was better than band vocalist Haru and vice versa. They soon parted ways at the strip mall outside the station.

Passing by the strip mall, Makoto noticed that a bookstore that had been close was now open. He was still holding Atoda's book in hand and remembered the reading list Mr. Ekoda had given them that morning. He decided to go inside.

A bell rang as he entered the establishment. One look was enough to tell him that if he was looking for old or outdated texts whose authors have been long buried, this was the place for it. An elderly man sat behind a counter at the back.

"Oh, welcome," the old man greeted Makoto as he walked further inside. "What would you like today? We have fresh mackerel, delivered just this morning!"

"That's for dinner, dear," and old man said from behind a teetering pile of books at the back. "Don't mind him, son. As you can see we don't sell any fish here." She walked up to Makoto with a smile and asked, "Looking for a book in particular?"

Makoto took out the reading list from his bag but accidentally dropped the book he was holding as he did so. The book fell to the floor, opening where he last left the leaf bookmark. But before the boy could reach for it, the old man, who had walked from behind the counter, was already crouching down to pick the book up.

"Hmm, isn't this a leaf from a persimmon tree?" he asked, but Makoto couldn't answer since he wasn't knowledgeable about plants enough to distinguish a persimmon leaf from any other leaf; although the old man seemed to be talking to himself anyway. The old woman drew closer to her husband-for that's what Makoto assumed them to be-and widened her eyes as she saw the leaf.

"Why, it is," the old woman remarked. Both elders stared Makoto up and down.

"Now that I look at you, boy," the old man started, readjusting his glasses, "you must be a student at Gekkoukan, judging from your uniform alone." He peered up into the blue-haired boy's pace carefully. "What's your name?"

"Makoto Yuki," the boy answered politely as he bowed, "a second year at Gekkoukan High."

"I knew it!" the old man suddenly exclaimed. "You probably got this leaf at the school's courtyard, no?" Makoto nodded. "You using it as a bookmark, I see." Makoto nodded again although it wasn't a question. "Tis a leaf from a persimmon tree. I bet it's the same one as our son planted there with his students."

"Our son was a teacher at Gekkoukan, you see," the woman said proudly.

"You say you're name's Makoto Yuki?" the old man asked as if pondering something, "Then I'll call you Makkun!" Makoto raised an eyebrow at this as the man laughed kindly-no one's given him a pet name before, not even his own grandparents. "By the way, I'm Bunkichi and this is my wife, Mitsuko.

"Now you came here to buy a book, right?" Bunkichi asked, handing back the book with the leaf still pressed inside.

Makoto then showed him the list of books he needed for school, holding the paper in both hands. The titles went something the The Tales of some Japanese character, most from the Heian or Kamakura periods. Bunkichi showed the list to his wife, and all three proceeded to look for the texts out of the jumbled arrangement of the novels, poem collections, short story collections, artbooks, and journals.

After an hour, they were only able to find Genji Monogatari and Ise Monogatari.

"I'm sorry, Makkun," Bunkichi said in a sad voice, "We couldn't find the rest of your books."

"I know we have those titles, but with the state of the shop it was just hard to find," Mitsuko apologized as well, looking down. "If only the books are more organized than this."

The elderly couple looked pained at how they weren't able to help Makoto as much as they wished. They were so eager to assist him after seeing the persimmon leaf and being reminded of their son. Thus it saddened them to see that this was all they could do.

"I can help," the blue-haired boy suddenly spoke up. Bunkichi and Mitsuko looked up in surprise.

"Help, my boy?" Bunkichi asked, blinking behind his glasses.

"In organizing the shop," Makoto said.

"Oh my, we can't possibly ask you to do that," Mitsuko replied becoming slightly uneasy. "We won't be able to pay you, for one thing." But Makoto only shook his head at the mention of payment.

"You don't need to..."

Bunkichi and Mitsuko were speechless. They didn't think that this young man would be so self-less as offer help without thoughts of a reward. But it made them happy.

"You're a kind young man, Makkun," Bunkichi complimented the boy, tapping his arm in the process. "All right! If you insist on helping then it'd be rude of us to reject you. You're hired!"

"My, my." Mitsuko was smiling warmly. "Well, maybe you can come on Sundays then. We don't want to keep you from your studies and club activities after all."

Makoto nodded at this, a small smile on his lips. Bunkichi and Mitsuko reminded him of his own grandparents. Though both his grandfather and grandmother were strict people when it comes to his schooling and duties, they were unnecessarily caring and fussy when it came to his needs. Warm and kind, just like the only memory he had of his parents.

_We offer you wisdom_

_Thus, may you find understanding_

_In purpose and ways of life_

_The Hierophant grants you blessing_

Makoto paid for the two books they were able to find and put these inside his bag. He also brought a third book, one that Mitsuko let him have as a gift for being so kind: it had a picture of an armored knight holding a trident and riding a red horse; according to the book's blurb, it was an allegorical piece of fantasy, borrowing characters from a grimoire of angels and demons.

"Take care, son."

* * *

**AFTERWORD:**

Okay, this was a pain to write for some reason. I already had an outline of how this chapter was supposed to progress but somehow ended up staring at a blinking cursor for hours on end. I'd write a part then stop. I'd write the next part and then stop again. But I tried to finish, and here it is.

And just like the fencing scene on Chapter 3, the kendo scene here is just something I made up. It was originally only a paragraph long, but had to rewrite and add more after reading the sword fight in Steph Swainston's No Present Like Time. I'll be re-reading that scene from now on every time I need to write some action.

Well, from the rate I'm going with this, looks like the second full moon would still be relatively far away. I was thinking of suddenly stream-lining the other Social Links but decided against it coz that won't make much sense after fleshing out the Magician, Chariot, and Hierophant encounters.

Unsure about the quality of this chapter, but I still hope those of you who do read it would still enjoy this update. Cheers!


	9. Operation Childhood Friend

_It's been ten years now, hasn't it?_

She lighted an incense stick after placing the daffodils she bought from the station in front of the gravestone. She then crouched in front of the grave and placed her palms together with eyes closed as if in prayer.

Today was the 7th of April. The people that lay there had been dead ten years but she had continued to pay her respects, even when no one else did. It had rained last year when she had come to visit, so she was thankful that the weather today had been clear. Yet as the skies were devoid of clouds, a storm was brewing inside her heart.

She was wrong to think that she's been healed from that painful past. When they had told her he'd be transferring to Gekkoukan this school year, she had thought that she'd be strong enough. After all, they were from different years; surely, there won't be much chance for them to interact, if at all. But fate was unkind.

He had the potential; that was the reason why he was returning to Iwatodai after all these years. Ikutsuki had him transfer to this high school under the pretense of a scholarship grant, which was not untrue; but the real reason was because he might prove to be an invaluable ally to their cause. Which meant she was to interact with him more than just mere senior and junior in the same school. They were to live under the same roof. Again.

His arrival caused unimaginable unrest inside her.

He was now taller than her. He had always wanted that. And it hurt to think of how he would have probably rub it in her face at how much he's grown, since she'd probably never hear him tease her again. She'd never have him poke her forehead again whenever they argued. She'd never see his impish grin, his mischievous eyes; a common sight back then. She'd never hear him call her affectionately by her pet name; the only one who ever did. Never again.

It hurt.

Yet, she had resolved not to let her emotions get the better of her. She was no longer eight years old after all. It had been years since the days where she'd cry herself to sleep each night. She was practically a grown woman; the next in line of her family, the prestigious Kirijo House. Oh, how naive she was in thinking this.

After a while, she finally opened her eyes and lowered her hands but did not stand. She did not know how much longer she'd be able to wear this mask of hers before it breaks. She could only hope it never did. Yet fate so far had not been merciful and she doubt it ever will.

Standing up, she placed a hand inside the pocket of her skirt to retrieve her motorcycle keys. She held it for a while staring at the wooden carving that served as its key chain; her lucky charm. It was a crude thing, made by unskilled hands - _his_ small unskilled hands - and only remotely resembled a queen chess piece. She held it lovingly in her hands as a sad smile formed in her lips.

"Happy birthday, Makkun."

At that same time, a boy with blue-black hair was walking towards the steps of Naganaki Shrine; a bouquet of daffodils in hand. He was to visit his parents.

* * *

**X. Operation Childhood Friend**

* * *

She was nervous.

No. To say that she was nervous would be an understatement that could not wholly describe what she's currently suffering from. She was a train wreck of nerves. Somehow, she now regretted for giving in to Akihiko's suggestion. She didn't have to do as he wished. Not complying would have meant nothing to her, and they both would have just let the topic slide. Or is she doing this because she, too, wanted it? Despite her misgivings, was she glad? Does that mean what she's feeling now was not nervousness but excitement? Maybe all the work she had had to do until now were t-

"Kirijo-senpai?"

Mitsuru was jolted awake from her thoughts at the sound of her name. Looking up, she saw the head covered in blue-black hair sitting across the conference table from her, his grey eyes staring intently at her scarlet ones. Makoto Yuki, the unbelievably popular transfer student, and her best friend. Or at least, who used to be her best friend. He doesn't even remember her so their friendship might as well have been a figment of her imagination.

"What's the matter, Yuki?" Mitsuru asked in a believably calm voice that hid the anxiousness she was feeling from being alone with the blue-haired boy.

"I said that I'm finished with arranging the memos," Makoto said in that monotonous voice of his which made it hard for anyone talking to him to guess what he was thinking. "Should I deliver these to the Faculty Office?"

"Hm?" Mitsuru thought for a moment. She was currently on edge what with them being the only ones in the room, maybe if he was to go out for a while then she'd be able to contain her nerves and compose herself before he comes back. "Please do. Oh, and..." She clears her throat. "Thank you for your help, Yuki."

"Excuse me then," Makoto said as he exited the room and bowed before closing the door.

Mitsuru gave a great sigh of relief as she listened to the sound of the boy's footsteps recede further away from the Student Council Room. Appointing Makoto to be a member of the Student Council as her assistant was proving to be a rather terrible decision. Yet, the boy's work was brisk and efficient so it wasn't a matter of performance that Mitsuru was double-thinking her appointment of him.

It was all Akihiko's fault.

The redhead thought back to that afternoon, a week ago, when she had the silver hair lock up his training equipment in the Command Room's armory.

* * *

"What was that, Akihiko?"

"I said, Makoto has amnesia. He said that he has no memory of his life prior the accident and a year following it. Eight years, Mitsuru. Gone just like that."

"And he volunteered this information himself?"

"Yes."

"To you?"

"What? You think it's not like him to tell that much?"

"According to reports from the Kirijo Group, he's never been very open to anyone. He never told anyone about his condition, or at least never cared enough about anyone to reveal himself past his name."

"So you _are_ aware of his condition?"

"I - what makes you say that?"

"You said 'he never told anyone about his condition'. That would suggest you had an idea about what his condition is."

"...Sharp."

Mitsuru had just finished locking up Akihiko's most priced possessions as well as confiscating his copy of the armory key, when he suddenly mentioned the conversation he and Makoto had while at Naganaki Shrine that morning. She was caught off guard and thus could not help but feel surprised.

"What happened to him, Mitsuru?"

"I don't know," Mitsuru replied. It was the truth. She did not know what had happened to Makoto to render him incapable of remembering eight years worth of memories. A look of sadness descended on her face as her own memories surfaced to the front of her consciousness. She sat herself down on the sofa.

"I feel like you're not telling me the whole truth," Akihiko said gently, sitting beside his friend.

"The truth?" Mitsuru looked up. Akihiko had been her first male friend in such a long time. They may not have started with such a relationship since they kept their interactions professional for the sole purpose of defeating Shadows; but after two years, she knew that he was a person whom she'd be able to depend on, even if he was a one-track idiot. "I guess there's no point in hiding anything further from you since you're already thinking it.

"I knew Yu-," she stopped and shook her head. "I knew Makoto-kun from before the accident ten years ago." Mitsuru thought it was probably safe to use the boy's first name in front of Akihiko since she'd be telling the truth anyway.

"I was right, then," Akihiko muttered to himself. He had a feeling like something similar would be the case. After two years, he knew that when it was something closely related to her, Mitsuru was uncharacteristically meek. Her uneasiness in suddenly talking about Makoto was a dead giveaway to Akihiko.

"Yes," Mitsuru sighed. "We actually grew up together. By this, I mean we were brought up together." Akihiko's eyes widened as a sound of surprise escaped his lips, but the redhead ignored this. "He and his parents lived at the Kirijo Mansion with us. We were cousins."

"Cousins?!" Akihiko exclaimed, surprised at this revelation.

"Well - not really; not by blood nor by law anyway," Mitsuru clarified. "Makoto-kun's father was a ward of my grandfather's due to - unfortunate circumstances. Thus, both our fathers grew up in the same household." Mitsuru sighed wistfully at the memory of her father and his best friend, who was the closest he ever had to a brother, laughing. Just laughing. She couldn't remember exactly what they were laughing about; all she could remember was the laughter: happy, carefree, hopeful.

"And that's how Makoto-kun and I ended up living like cousins under the same roof," Mitsuru continued. "Even after they both married, Father - with support from Grandfather - let Uncle stay in the mansion with his wife and eventual son."

"I see," was all Akihiko could say. "You two must have been really close..."

Mitsuru did not answer, simply nod.

"It must have hurt," Akihiko gently said.

"It did," Mitsuru managed to reply, choking down the tears that were threatening to flow. Akihiko watched as the sadness in her face grew deeper.

"And it still does," he whispered. Mitsuru said not a word. "Though I guess you're lucky."

Mitsuru whipped her head to look at Akihiko. Lucky? She could not understand how Akihiko could say that. It surely wasn't a word she'd use to describe what had happened. The accident, the explosion; they took four of the people dearest to her: her grandfather, her uncle and his wife, and her best friend. How could anyone say that she was lucky?

"Because he's not dead," Akihiko continued before Mitsuru could express her outrage.

"Wha-"

"I know what it's like to lose someone, Mitsuru," Akihiko simply said. "And you may see Makoto's condition as something like him dying, but that's not true." He then placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He's here. He's alive. Isn't that enough hope for you? Isn't that enough a chance for you to bring him back?"

"And you think we haven't done that?" Mitsuru quietly snapped. "A year following the accident, he stayed with us. But-" She clenched her hands into fists. "-his condition grew unstable. No matter how many times we introduced ourselves he'd forget everything again after a week, or a month. And so Father had no choice but to give up custody to his family. His _real_ family."

But Akihiko smiled: a soft, understanding smile.

"I'm not saying he has to remember for you to bring him back," Akihiko said. "Get to know him again; befriend him. He may have changed - but what's life without surprises, eh? And-" He then straightened up. "-you might be pleased to have been surprised."

Mitsuru stared into Akihiko's grey eyes, the same color as Makoto's. Could she really find it in herself to try and get close to Makoto? It hurt too much to think as to how she'd take it if anything were to happen to him again. She feared that by trying to open her life to that boy once more was to welcome loss and grief. Besides, was there even a chance of anyone being friends with the current Makoto? He was usually quiet and distant. Was this really possible?

"If not for yourself, then do it for the team," Akihiko said piercing through her thoughts. "Though I wouldn't have known this if you hadn't told me, I doubt you'd be able to keep this a secret forever. Wounds are to be healed, Mitsuru, not nurtured." He stood up and gave Mitsuru a friendly smile. _Maybe I should follow my own advice_, he thought to himself. "Think about it."

And there the conversation ended.

* * *

But why did she have to invite Makoto to join the Student Council? Answer: because this was the only excuse she could think of. They were from different years, different classes, different clubs. If only he had kept with fencing instead of changing to kendo, they could have hung out there - at least there was a lesser chance of being alone with him. Yet, she needed the extra help anyway so there was that to be thankful for. She was Student Council President, the SEES Club President, honorary Vice-Captain of the Fencing Team, and then there was her affairs for the Kirijo Group. Maybe it was the right decision after all?

"Senpai?"

Mitsuru turned her head to the door to see that Makoto had returned from the Faculty Office. She then looked down at the papers in front of her and realized she hadn't made any progress since Makoto left the room. She touched her phone that was on table and saw the following: 05/08 Fri 17:58. _Maybe this was a bad idea after all_, she thought.

"Thank you, Yuki, for handling the memos," Mitsuru told the boy by the door, giving him a quick smile. "You can go ahead without me, as it will take me a while to finish these." She gestured to the papers stacked neatly in front of her. But Makoto only walked up to her, and he seemed to be holding something.

The redhead turned her head towards the blue-haired boy again, and saw that he had brought refreshments with him. "I passed a vending machine on the way," was all he said as he showed her the juice-pack in each hand. It seemed like he was gesturing for her to choose which one she wanted. The options was a box of barley tea or a box of green tea soy milk.

"You shouldn't have," Mitsuru told him but chose the milk out of courtesy. Makoto raised an eyebrow as she took the box of green tea soy milk from him.

"Ah," escaped his lips before he could help it.

"Is there something wrong?" Mitsuru asked, confused that Makoto suddenly made a face as he quickly averted his eyes from the drink in the her hand. "Wait, were you planning to drink this, Yuki?" He nodded, almost imperceptibly. "Then you shouldn't have let me choose," she said amused as she tried to give him back the soy milk.

"But I didn't know what you'd drink," Makoto argued. "So I let you choose." Mitsuru couldn't help but smile at his words.

"You like green tea soy milk, I take it?" she asked and Makoto nodded in answer. A look of surprise crossed her face for a second, but soon disappeared. _So he still likes this_, she mused. "I see, then I can't possibly take this from you." She tried again to give back the milk, but he only waved her off as he shook his head. "If you insist then I'll take it. How much was it?"

"No need," Makoto replied and went to the other side of the table to retrieve his school bag as if to keep Mitsuru from returning the box of milk and from paying him. He slung his bag over his shoulder and went for the door. But before he could slide open the door, he turned around and said...

"Kirijo-senpai."

"Yes?" Mitsuru looked up.

"Happy birthday."

The redhead looked stunned. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly.

"I'm sorry but what was that?"

"Happy birthday, Kirijo-senpai," Makoto repeated, "is what I said."

"How did you know?"

"Akihiko-san told me this morning."

She could only look at him with surprise. To think she'd hear him greet her a Happy Birthday again. A feeling of gladness rose in her chest, bubbling its way to her lips, and forming a smile so radiant it gave light to the gradually dimming Student Council Room.

"Is that why you suddenly bought drinks?," she asked but Makoto only shrugged. Yet the gesture was enough for her. Besides she, too, loved green tea soy milk. She suddenly regretted sending him home before her.

"I'll be going ahead then," came Makoto's voice from outside the room, "Excuse me."

"Wait, Yuki!"

He stopped as he was about to close the door and looked at his red-haired senior. She was now standing by the table and carefully stacking the papers inside her school bag. Makoto watched as his senpai finished packing and slung the bag over one shoulder.

"It's becoming late," Mitsuru said as she walked towards the door, "It'd be better if I just finish these at the dorm."

"Then I'll help," Makoto offered as he made way for her to exit the room.

"I'd appreciate that," Mitsuru agreed with a smile. "Let's go home."

* * *

**AFTERWORD:**

I knew it. Anything to do with Makoto and Mitsuru, and the chapter just writes itself. Well, okay, I cheated. The intro scene was actually written the day I finished writing Chapter 4: An Unexpected Reunion. So yeah.

Anyway, some might be wondering why Hidetoshi or Chihiro didn't make an appearance despite it being established that Makoto was already a member of Student Council. That's because I streamlined their initial encounter. That doesn't mean I skipped the initiation of the Emperor Social Link, it's just that our protag hasn't established it yet. I decided to tidy up the SL progression - not necessarily following the game's flow - so there's that.

O-kay. So the date of this chapter is May 8th. That means that the next update would then cover the Priestess Boss Fight! Oh, god more action scenes. But at least I'm making a bit of a progress here.

Please leave a review or send me a PM. Your suggestions, comments, and violent reactions are always welcome - not that I've received a violent reaction, yet. Enjoy the update then! Cheers!

P.S. About Makoto and Mitsuru's relationship. The idea came from _The Importance of Being Earnest_ by Oscar Wilde. It has a movie. It's funny. Go watch it.

P.P.S Only if you want to.


	10. The Anehazuru Incident

"You're back."

The boy in prison clothes was sitting on Makoto's bed when he entered the room; his short legs dangling off the floor. His wide childish smile would have been rather disarming and innocent if only the warped discoloration of the world during the Dark Hour didn't distort one's perception. In the eerie green lighting, the boy's smile only looked sinister.

"The moon's almost full isn't it?" the boy observed as he turned his head to look at the window where indeed the enormous green moon was almost full. Makoto walked up to the window and looked at the same sight as the boy.

Blink. The boy was now standing by the window in front of him. "I see that you made a few friends," he said, smiling even wider, "that is, if we can call them that." He looked up at Makoto with those bright blue eyes of his. "Though there is one who seem to resent you... someone very close."

Blink. The boy was by the door, facing his back to the room. "Be careful," he warned.

"An ordeal awaits you."

* * *

**XI. The Anehazuru Incident**

* * *

Makoto went down for breakfast - it was Yukari's turn again this week - after finishing his early morning training at the rooftop. He had changed out of his hakama and into grey sweatpants and what most Japanese teenagers call a Y-Shirt. He thought that maybe it was still early for breakfast though, but still went to the first floor anyway.

Upon reaching the first floor, he saw that there was no one around yet - as he figured. Sounds were coming from the kitchen though, so Makoto went inside to see Yukari panicking behind the center island.

"Oh, Yuki-kun," Yukari said as she noticed the blue-haired boy enter the kitchen. "Sorry, but breakfast's not done yet. Actually - it's better to say that nothing's done yet." She scours the almost empty fridge and cupboards for ingredients while talking. It looks like she doesn't know what to serve for breakfast this particular morning.

Makoto walked up to the fridge a hurried _and_ harried Yukari left open, and took a look inside. Aside from Akihiko's energy drinks and protein shakes, all that's left inside were some eggs, two pieces of scallions, and a plastic container of miso paste. He then peeked inside the freezer and saw some packets of natto sitting at the back of some ice cube containers and more energy drinks. Makoto then wondered if Akihiko was by now a caffeine junkie with the number of cans stored in the fridge every week.

"Fried eggs," Makoto suggested as he closed the freezer.

"I've thought of that," Yukari replied, sounding exasperated. "But I'm just not sure how Senpai would take it if we served just that with rice. I probably won't hear the end of it, how it was my responsibility or whatever."

"Senpai?" Makoto wondered. The first person that came to mind was Akihiko - maybe because he was just thinking about him and his love for protein and, apparently, caffeine. "I don't think Akihiko-san would mind though. I saw him eat raw egg once. Said something about protein."

"I'm not talking about Sanada-senpai," Yukari snapped. "I meant Kirijo-senpai."

"Kirijo-senpai..." Makoto echoed. Well, he didn't know much about Mitsuru besides that she's scary when angered and the fact that she seem to like green tea mixed soy milk. "How about fermented soy beans?"

"You mean natto?" Yukari looked up from her position on the floor rummaging the cupboard under the sink in a bid of desperation. "Do we even have natto?" she asked standing up.

Makoto replied by opening the freezer and taking out the packs of natto from the back then showing it to Yukari. The girl stood up and walked to Makoto to take the natto and place it atop the kitchen counter. Makoto then closed the fridge since it has now served its purpose. "Well, it's all we've got," Yukari muttered. "I wonder if she'd eat it."

"What makes you think Kirijo-senpai won't?" Makoto asked.

"Remember the week you spent in the hospital?" Yukari said as she took out a stainless steel bowl and placed the packets in it. Makoto nodded in answer. "Well, that was Kirijo-senpai's turn on kitchen duty." She placed the bowl with frozen packets under the tap and ran it. "She never really did cook that week." She closed the tap and proceeded to remove the ice on the outside of the packs while submerged in water. "One of her maids - I forgot her name - came by and prepared a week's worth of meals for breakfast and dinner we could just store in the freezer and heat up when it was time to eat. Everything was gourmet level.

"So you see, I can't mess up," Yukari concluded as she continued defrosting the packs of natto in the hopes it'll thaw faster. Makoto watched his classmate as her fingers moved dexterously in the water, breaking off pieces of ice here and there. Letting the words sink in, he then opened the fridge again and rescued the miso, eggs, and scallions from the company of Akihiko's drinks. "What're you going to do with that?" Yukari asked as Makoto placed the items on the counter.

"Mix it with the natto," Makoto simply said as he went straight for the cupboard and took out a large bowl. Yukari stared and moved out of the way as the blue-haired boy removed the steel bowl filled with frozen natto and tap water from the sink and then proceeded to clean the large bowl he took from the cupboard. After washing this, he took a towel from the cabinet and wiped it dry. He then placed the bowl on the counter and continued by cracking the eggs open with one hand. "The rice," he then said, reminding Yukari.

"Oh, right," Yukari said, snapping out of watching Makoto's methodical, almost mechanical, movements. She then proceeded to prepare the rice for breakfast. "Where did you learn to crack eggs one-handed?" she asked, taking measured amounts of rice grains from its storage container and into the rice cooker pot. "I've always wanted to learn that."

"Grandmother taught me," came the boy's simple reply.

"That's right, you lived with your grandparents," the girl said as she washed the grains of rice with tap water. "I heard you lived abroad." Makoto nodded as he beat the eggs with a fork. "Where exactly abroad?"

"Different places," Makoto replied. "Jumped around the UK and Ireland when I was younger; a summer in France; spent a year in Norway; then state to state in the US."

"Wow," Yukari said, placing the pot into the rice cooker and turning it on. "So you never returned to Japan until now?" Makoto nodded. "But why move around so much? And with your grandparents, too."

"Grandfather's work demands we move around," was all Makoto said as he set aside the beaten eggs and took a knife from the block in front of him.

"He still works?" asked Yukari as she poured the water from the steel bowl and refilled it under the tap. Makoto only nodded in answer. There was then a lull in conversation as Yukari watched Makoto chop the scallions.

After some time - and a few more trips under the tap - the frozen natto has been thawed. Yukari opened the packs and removed the film, then dumped everything into a large bowl. Makoto stared at the bowl of fermented soybeans.

"Want to stir?" Yukari offered as she saw the look on Makoto's face. He nodded once and took out a pair of chopsticks. Yukari then handed him the bowl of natto and then went to the rice cooker to check its progress.

Turning around, she found that the blue-haired boy was stirring the beans with such force that some of its sticky threads were spilling over and onto his shirt. Not that he minded, or even noticed.

"Yuki-kun, stop!" Yukari shouted with her hands in front of her in the universal body language that meant to cease. "You're stirring a bit too hard. Look. Your shirt's all sticky; even your arms." She took the bowl from Makoto and placed it atop a mat on the counter, then took a wet towel and proceeded to wipe off the threads from his arms and shirt; like a mother cleaning the mud of a child's t-shirt after a long day of running around in the park.

Just then, Junpei entered the scene.

"Oi, Yukatan. Is breakfast ready yet?" Junpei stopped as he saw Yukari wiping a wet towel across Makoto's arm. "Whatchoo guys doing?"

"Making breakfast," Makoto answered.

"Well, if that's breakfast then I'm just gonna buy something from the convenience store," Junpei said, sounding irritated. He then quickly exited the kitchen with a tch-ing sound.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Yukari remarked as she handed the towel to Makoto so he could wipe himself. She then took the bowl of natto and chopsticks, and stirred. "You should probably wash up and change. I can handle this. I just have to mix this with the eggs right?"

Makoto nodded and said, "Mix the natto with the eggs. Put the soy sauce and mustard from the pack, and a tablespoon of miso. Mix. Pour over rice. Then add the scallions for garnish."

"Got it."

And Makoto exited the kitchen as well.

As he reached the stairs though Junpei's voice called out to him from the lounge.

"So," Junpei said, "you and Yukatan seem to be getting pret-ty close, eh?" He was seated on the sofa, his head facing the front door. "Man, some of us are just born lucky."

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked, realizing that this was the first time in two weeks he and Junpei were to talk outside of their Tartarus explorations. While even when in the tower, the other guy was somewhat quiet and irritable. He no longer even hanged out with him and Kenji after class.

"Whatever, man," Junpei scoffed as he stood up and went outside without even a single glance in Makoto's direction. The blue-haired boy was only left wondering what could make Junpei act like that. Did he somehow misunderstand what he saw in the kitchen? But it never seemed to bother him before when rumors would float around school about Makoto and Yukari. What changed then to make him so irate?

Makoto dismissed the thought and shook his head, then went up to his room to change.

Junpei didn't show up for breakfast that morning.

* * *

"What do you think is his problem?" Yukari asked as she trailed behind Makoto who was pushing the shopping cart along the aisle of baking mix and flours. "When I asked him after class if he wanted to help out with the grocery he was all for it but then suddenly said that he had something else planned and ran off. Like I can believe that." She took down one of the pancake mix from the shelf and looked at the back for the nutrition label. "What do you think, Yuki-kun?"

"No idea," was all the blue-haired boy said as he took box after box from the shelf.

"Geez, you could at least pretend like you care, you know," Yukari sighed watching Makoto place the boxes inside the cart. "And how many more pancake mixes are you planning to buy?!" She walked off to the cart's side and stopped his hand from taking another box.

"Akihiko-san requested pancakes," Makoto said.

"Well, I for one am not eating nothing but pancakes for the whole week," Yukari replied as she removed the boxes from the cart and returned them to the shelf. "We'll buy two and that's it. You need a balanced diet for these things you know so stick to the list I gave you. Come on." She then lead the way by pulling the cart's front towards the produce section of the supermarket. "I guess it's for the best that I came with you."

"Hey, isn't that Yukari-san?"

"You're right. Hey, Yukari~"

Yukari stopped in her tracks as two girls wearing Gekkoukan High uniforms came up to her from further down the aisle. Meanwhile, Makoto only held to the shopping cart as he took a gander at the shelf to his right. Apparently they were in the snacks aisle now.

"Isn't he the rumored transfer student?" asked a girl with the ponytail.

"Rumored, you say?" Yukari asked in reply, forcing a smile.

"So it's true that you guys are dating?" a girl with the bob chimed in excitedly.

"No! We are definitely not dating!" Yukari rebuked as she waved her hands in front of her.

"Eeeh? Then what're you guys doing then?" said the bob. "You look like a pair of newly-weds shopping for groceries together like that."

"We live in the same dorm and it's his turn on kitchen duty starting tomorrow so I'm just helping him out," Yukari explained in a hurry, getting increasingly flustered and sweating despite the supermarket's A/C. "It's his first time you see."

"Is that so?" the ponytail said, now looking at what the rumored transfer student was doing. Seeing the look on both girls' faces, Yukari turned around just to see Makoto filling up the cart with all brands of potato chips.

"Yuki-kun!" Yukari snapped loudly at the blue-haired boy.

"These're mine," Makoto said as he nonchalantly placed another bag of chips into the cart.

"I don't care even if you pay for the chips yourself," Yukari replied, "but we're not buying them!" She then proceeded to return the bags onto the shelf as the two other high school girls watched with increasing amusement. "Have you any idea how much calories these things contain? Now come on." After the chips were removed from the cart, Yukari then started pushing Makoto to get a move on. "See you two at club next week." And then they were off.

"I knew it," Yukari sighed as they were out of earshot from the two Gekkoukan girls. "Doing the grocery with just the two of us was a bad idea after all."

"Five minutes ago you said it was for the best though," Makoto contradicted.

"Geez, you can be incredibly thick sometimes you know," Yukari muttered looking increasingly tired all of a sudden. "But with you like that, I guess the rumors doesn't bother you at all, huh..." Makoto shrugged. "Well, let's just get this over with and get back to the dorm," Yukari sighed as she pushed a hand into the boy's back. "Hopefully, we don't run into them again. Or anyone else from school for that matter."

They eventually finished shopping for groceries without further incident - not counting the multiple times where Yukari had to stop Makoto from sneaking more food items into the cart.

On their way towards the exit after paying at the check-out counter, however, Yukari stopped in front of a magazine and newspaper stand and read the headlines.

"There's been an increase in the number of new Apathy Syndrome victims this past week. The number of deaths is also on the rise," she told Makoto who looked over her shoulder to see the numerous papers reporting on the recent suicides by confirmed Apathy Syndrome victims. "Do you think we're making any actual difference here?"

"I don't know," Makoto answered bluntly, making Yukari turn around to look at him.

She wondered what was going on inside that head of his. She wondered what exactly was his reason for joining SEES. He didn't seem to care if their efforts were of any use in curbing the problem with the Shadows. He was a good field leader in keeping her and Junpei safe, yes, but reckless when it came to himself.

_Why do you fight, Yuki-kun?_

"I see," Yukari muttered to herself and looked up into the dimming sky as they exited the supermarket. A ghost of the moon could somehow already be seen. "Looks like there'll be a full moon tonight."

Makoto looked up at the moon. As he laid eyes on that spherical orb in the sky, he suddenly felt a tug under his skin: an ominous feeling. And he heard the boy's voice inside his head:

_The moon's almost full isn't it? Be careful. An ordeal awaits you._

* * *

That night, Makoto stayed up staring at the full moon until the Dark Hour struck.

He felt restless, something he didn't usually feel. Thinking back to the recent events since he stepped foot in Iwatodai, there have only been two circumstances where he felt the same way as he did tonight: one, when he first met the boy in prison clothes the night he arrived; two, when he saw that giant Shadow on the rooftop last month. Seeing that the boy's visitations were not succeeded by the same ominous feeling any longer, he could only conclude that something similar to the latter will soon present itself. Tonight.

So when an alarm blared all over the whole dormitory, he knew he had been correct.

Still in his school uniform, Makoto then headed up to the fourth floor in an almost leisurely manner that disregarded the anxiety that was crawling beneath his skin and whispering unintelligibly in his ear. He reached the Command Room just as the pajama-clad figures of Yukari and Junpei arrived at almost the same time on the fourth floor's landing.

"You're still dressed," Yukari noted, staring at the blue-haired boy in uniform.

"Uh, excuse me but I think we have an emergency here," Junpei said, brushing past the two to get into the command room. He pushed the door open and disappeared inside without even so much as a glance at Makoto.

"Honestly..." Yukari muttered under her breath and followed the goatee. Makoto did the same.

Inside the room - aside from Junpei - were Mitsuru and Akihiko still dressed in their school uniforms. And, unlike Junpei and Yukari, they looked wide awake. This only compounded the sense of restlessness inside Makoto as he surveyed the room, locking on to the large monitor on the wall showing a satellite map of Iwatodai with a red blinking dot somewhere out at what looked like open waters.

"So what's up with the wake up call, Senpai?" Junpei, stifling a yawn, asked Akihiko as soon as everyone was gathered near the bank of consoles. But Akihiko only turned his head to Mitsuru in answer.

"A Shadow's been spotted outside of Tartarus," Mitsuru explained her tone becoming grave. "And according to the energy readings Penthesilea is picking up, it's not an ordinary one either." Makoto's face, though remaining utterly passive, couldn't help but harden at the jaw at this piece of news. He was right to stay awake tonight, but wondered how the boy in prison clothes was aware of such developments enough to warn him.

"Wait, do you mean it's something like last month?" Yukari asked, a worried look on her face.

"That is what we fear," replied Mitsuru. "And as I am confident with the amount of progress you all have gathered this past weeks, assigning you to intercept this particular Shadow is still wrought with danger." She paused, and then continued with her grave tone becoming more so. "But we must all do what we can to eradicate this current threat. Is it not the reason we all joined SEES: to protect the city from the Shadows?"

Yukari remained silent, only nodding. Makoto stared off distantly, but slightly changed his passive face to say that he understood. Only Junpei seemed to be the one energetic enough to answer, despite being barely awake a few minutes ago.

"So we just need to kick its ass right? Well count me in!"

"Me as well," Akihiko piped in, pressing a fist to his chest. But Mitsuru didn't look amused.

"No, Akihiko. I can't allow you to be on the assault team," the redhead said. "Aside from the fact that you're still injured, I've contacted the Chairman and he's currently outside the city. So I need you here to relay the information I send you to his position. Understood?" Yet despite the question, Mitsuru's tone left no place for argument as Akihiko, despite wanting to accompany the assault team, only nodded stiffly in reply.

"Don't worry, Senpai! I got this covered!" Junpei declared as he placed a hand on Akihiko's shoulder. But the silver-haired senior only looked to the blue-haired boy staring at the monitor.

"You're in charge," he said. "Lead them well."

"Understood," Makoto replied without taking his eyes off the screen, while Junpei removed his hand from Akihiko's shoulder a look dawning on his face that suggested he had swallowed something disagreeable.

"All right," Mitsuru spoke. "Everyone get ready. You three go an ahead to the rendezvous point, as I still need to prepare a few things."

"Uhm, where's the rendezvous point?" Yukari asked looking up from staring at her feet.

"Iwatodai station," Makoto suddenly said making everyone turn to him in surprise. He looked at the rest of the team with blank eyes and pointed at the computer screen, specifically at the red dot on what seemed to be open waters. "It's somewhere along the monorail tracks right?" Mitsuru gave an impressed smile as she nodded.

"Correct."

* * *

"Ugh, where is she?" Yukari said loudly as she glanced at her SEES wristwatch.

It took them roughly twenty minutes to get to Iwatodai Station from the dormitory. Although it took Makoto close to an hour to walk from the station to the dorm on the night of his arrival, he was walking rather leisurely that time. Tonight, they had decided to 'borrow' some 'unlocked' bicycles on the way to speed things up. It was an important mission after all.

Just then a low growl could be heard from the distance which grew steadily louder with each passing second. With all eyes directed down the road, they saw a single glare of light becoming bigger as the growling could now be distinguished as the roar of an engine. The sudden glare was the headlight of a motorcycle.

Moments later, a silver Ducati parked itself right in front of the three high schools students seated on the steps of the train station. Taking off the helmet, the driver was revealed to be none other than Mitsuru, wearing a peacoat and pants ensemble.

"I apologize for the wait," the redhead said as she got off the bike. Junpei, becoming rather excited at the sight of the motorcycle proceeded to examine it all angles; it was a splendid looking piece of machinery after all. "I've located the Shadow to be inside a monorail not far from this station. It's position has remained unchanged for the last thirty minutes." Hearing this, Junpei abruptly ceased his admiration of the bike.

"Wait, it hasn't done anything?" the baseball cap asked. It was suspicious for a Shadow with an immense energy reading to remain in stasis, and they all thought that. But what was more surprising, at least to Yukari, was how it was Junpei who first voiced it out.

"True," Mitsuru agreed. "It is suspicious to know that the Shadow has not made a move to wreck havoc as if it's waiting for something, or someone." She turned to look at all of them in the eye, but dwelling a second longer on the blue-haired boy still seated on the stairs. "But we have no choice but to pursue it where it stands. You all will head to the monorail by way of the tracks while I provide support from here." She then placed a hand on the motorcycle where a small gadget was installed on the back.

"Walk on the tracks? Isn't that dangerous," Yukari voiced out her apprehension.

"Don't worry, no electronic equipment is operable during the Dark Hour," Mitsuru tried to ease the other girl's worries. "All the trains have currently stopped and will remain that way until the end of the hour-" She looked at her own SEES wristwatch. "-which is about twenty-five minutes from now."

"But how come your bike works, Senpai?" Junpei said straightening up, "And even these wristwatches the Chairman gave us, now that I think about it."

But Mitsuru only gave a proud smile and said, "Because it's special.

"Now. We only have a little over twenty minutes left so we must move fast. The Dark Hour is basically a hidden hour so we must prevent any damage done the city during this time or else there might be panic.

"Commence operation!"

* * *

The monorail in question was already a kilometer out into the tracks from the station eating about ten minutes of the assault team's time before they finally reached it. They only have about fifteen minutes until the end of the Dark Hour. Thus, they need to end this quickly if they wanted to get off and then back to the station before the trains start moving again.

"We're here," Yukari announced to no one in particular.

_The signal's definitely coming from that train. Please investigate it and eradicate the enemy._

"Gotcha, Kirijo-senpai!" Junpei exclaimed.

All three cautiously drew nearer the train in question. It was definitely not moving, out here in the middle of the tracks. Yet the doors, as far as Makoto could see, were all open. He wondered then why the doors would be open when it was in transit when midnight struck and essentially freezing it into place. But then again, the Shadow was _inside_ the monorail.

They entered the train.

"By the way, why're the doors open?"

But just as Junpei voiced out what Makoto already had in his head, the door they came through suddenly closed. So did the one opposite it. Then another one. And another one. Before they knew it all the doors started closing in pairs along the train. Yukari and Junpei both went to a door and tried prying it open.

"Figures," Makoto muttered making Junpei whip his head at him.

"What? You knew this was gonna happen?!" Junpei grabbed Makoto's collar and shook him. "And you didn't bother to tell us?!" Spit was flying from his lips and onto the blue-haired boy's face. Yet Makoto only looked at him with cold eyes.

"Doesn't change anything," Makoto said with a blank tone. "The Shadow's inside. We needed to go after it. So we go inside. Whether I figured it to be a trap doesn't change anything. We still need to go after it. Inside." He paused, staring at the other boy's furious eyes.

"Then we could've just lured it out!" Junpei shouted, spit flying some more.

But Makoto could only stare at him. The Shadow had stayed in the same position for the past forty-five minutes inside a monorail in the middle of the tracks out at sea. Considering its actions, or lack thereof, Makoto didn't think that luring it outside would have proven at all fruitful. Or did his own sense of fatalism made him blind to that one contingency?

_What's going on? Why is Yuki and Iori fighting?_

"We're trapped inside the monorail," Yukari explained. "All the doors just suddenly shut close."

_It must be the Shadow. It knows you're there._

And as if to prove Mitsuru's words to be true, a floating Shadow materialized in front of them from the darkness. From all their time exploring Tartarus, they all recognized this one to be classified as a Tiara. Junpei and Makoto broke off, and all three readied their weapons. But before they could engage the enemy, it abruptly turned on its heel - metaphorically - and ran - again, metaphorically - down the car and further into the center of the monorail.

"Hey, come back here!" Junpei shouted as he started to give chase.

_Wait!_

Junpei stopped.

_The Shadow is acting strange. You three should take caution._

"What? But it's getting away!"

_Yuki._

Yukari and Junpei looked at Makoto.

_You're the field leader. It's your call._

A pause and then, "Take caution," was all the blue-haired boy said. But the baseball cap let out an impatient sound and pulled his sword off the ground.

"Like hell, i'mma listen to you!" Junpei spatted. "If you don't want to take care of it then fine by me. I can handle that thing by myself!" He then turned around and ran after the Shadow's tail.

"Wait, Junpei!" Yukari called out but to no avail as Junpei disappeared into another car. "Yuki-kun! We need to go after him!" Makoto stared at her as if he didn't care either way, but then lifted his sword tip off the ground.

"Understood."

But just before they could give chase, the whole train lurched forward sending them back. The monorail was moving along the tracks even though it was still the Dark Hour.

"Why're we moving?" Yukari shouted desperately.

_It seems the Shadow has taken control of the monorail._

"It 'seems'?" Yukari snapped. "Gosh, that's helpful."

_Oh no._

"What is it now?"

_There's a train just up ahead. At this rate the train you're on will collide with it._

"What?!"

_Listen, the energy spike is coming from the front of the train you're in. Iori's headed that way thus you need to catch up with him before he endangers himself._

"Ugh, Stupei!" Yukari exclaimed in frustration. "Yuki-kun!"

"On it," Makoto replied. And they ran off inside the train.

_Hurry, everyone. I've estimated the time until collision..._

"How long do we have?" Makoto asked as he and Yukari hurried towards the front car.

_Eight minutes._

* * *

Junpei made short work of the Shadows he encountered with the use of his Persona, further inflating his ego. They crumbled as Hermes' fire attacks incinerated them before they could even get close enough. Or if they did, one swing from his sword and they go up in smoke.

He, too, could take out these things easily like the other guy. Yeah, he didn't have any fancy official training with sword fighting like _him_ or didn't have as much experience when they started out, but he got the job done didn't he? Yet, all they could see was that guy. It was unfair.

He just got here last month and the whole school's already abuzz about him with rumors that say he and Yukari, one of the most sought after girl in the whole school next to Mitsuru, were dating. There was even another rumor spreading around that they'd been spotted shopping for groceries together like newly-weds, being all sweet together. And if that wasn't enough, some were even going so far as to say that there might be something going on between him and the Kirijo heiress as well. She did suddenly appoint him as her assistant in the Student Council after all. While Junpei himself still hadn't manage to get a girlfriend yet, let alone a date. It was unfair.

Then there was the wonderful friendship with Akihiko that the boxer's fan club are just eating up. Well, the senior did seem to have taken a great liking to the other guy that he'd appoint him to be field leader in regular expeditions and even on this particular mission. It didn't came to Junpei though to think with how well the other guy was doing that he'd naturally be assigned to take charge in urgent matters such as this. He only thought it to be unfair.

"Hermes!" Junpei shouted, pulling the trigger and shattering his mind. The winged figure of his Persona materialized in front of him and flew straight at the advancing pair of Tiaras, obliterating both with its sharp wings. "See that? I got this!"

He was visibly sweating now, yet this did not deter him as he cried out with his sword held high. But as he advanced towards the next car, a sudden block of ice came flying towards him from the darkness ahead. He managed to throw himself sideways to avoid getting hit.

"That was close," he breathed with relief. But he then stood up and continued.

Entering the front car, however, made him abruptly stop in his tracks. There in front of him was a large shadow which looked uncannily female - judging from outer appearances. It was clothed from the waist down as it sat with legs open and what looked like its breast hanging. Her hair appeared to be scrolls with writing on them as they stood hovering around her masked head. It gave Junpei a suffocating feeling as if the amount of power it has was suppressing him. Yet, he forced himself not feel scared.

"Hah, let's dance then."

He grabbed his Evoker from its holster and raised it to his temple; but before he could pull the trigger the large Shadow's scroll-like hair shot out from its head and hit him squarely on the chest, giving him no time to raise his sword and protect himself. The attack lifted him off his feet and threw him a few feet backwards. His Evoker flying further behind him.

The Shadow was now creating a large pointed missile made of ice out of thin air. He tried to stand but the pain on his chest sapped the strength from his limbs as he remained sprawled on his backside, vulnerable to the enemy's next attack. _No way_, he thought desperately.

The ice projectile was formed, and in an instant it came hurtling down towards a helpless Junpei. The point of its nose mercilessly directed towards his chest.

But it did not connect.

Suddenly, a wall of wind gust its way from the floor a few inches in front of Junpei and destroying the ice before it could even harm a hair on his goatee. Turning around, he saw Yukari and the other, guy behind him and hurriedly running to front car. The other guy, Makoto, picked up his Evoker on the way and handed it to the baseball cap.

"You okay?" Makoto asked Junpei who gave him a chagrin smile.

"Of course," Junpei replied as he took his Evoker.

"So," Yukari joined in, "could someone tell me what we're up against here?"

_The Shadow's Arcana is the Priestess. Be careful, it doesn't appear to have any weaknesses._

"Okay, thanks for that," Yukari said, evidently displeased with the lack of good news.

_Also, you only have five minutes left._

"Wait, what? What do you mean five minutes left?" Junpei cried starting to panic. "What happens after five minutes?!"

"We crash into the train up ahead," Yukari said gulping down the fear stuck in her throat.

"What?! But we're still inside!" Junpei cried again.

"Then we die," Makoto said blankly.

"What?" Junpei stared at the calm blue-haired boy dumbfounded. "How can you say that as if - as if you don't care?" But only the same cold, blank look stared back at him. "We'll die, dammit! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

"Not really," Makoto simply said, shocking both Junpei and Yukari, and Mitsuru who was listening in. "But if you're that scared-" He looked at Junpei, and then to Yukari, "-then do something about it." He then cocked the Evoker to his temple and fired.

Orpheus materialized as Makoto ran up to the Priestess Shadow with his sword coming from the side of his body. The scrolls shot out at him, but with his reflex being better than Junpei's, and the fact that he hadn't exhausted his stamina yet, Makoto only dodged them. By the time he got a few feet near the enemy, a scroll came down at him from his left. He changed the angle he was holding his sword and struck the scroll with a diagonal slash from below. Just as he did so Orpheus, unhampered by the scrolls since the enemy had been focused on his summoner, was already in front of the Priestess, blasting its face with fire. The mechanical man shattered into shards as the blue-haired boy returned to Yukari's and Junpei's sides.

Makoto shot both a look and they answered by firing their Evokers. But as Io and Hermes materialized out of thin air, the Priestess had also summoned its own reinforcements: a couple of Tiaras were now advancing towards them.

The three went into engagement.

Soon all three were coordinating their attacks accordingly. They alternated in calling their Personas to keep themselves from getting in the way of the others' attacks. But the Priestess was proving to be formidable, yet not invincible as it was starting to lurch forward. Unfortunately, so did Makoto.

Just as he was about to deal double damage to the Priestess in tandem with Orpheus, while Yukari and Junpei's Hermes covered them, a sudden sense of vertigo overcame him. Orpheus shattered midway his advance and Makoto dropped his sword, and instead held the right side of his face with both hands. Acting quickly, Junpei jumped in to pull Makoto away as Yukari, with the help of Io, gave them cover.

"Oi, Makoto!" Junpei screamed at the convulsing body of their leader. "Makoto, get a hold of yourself, man! Hey!"

"What's wrong with him?!" Yukari cried as the Priestess suddenly lowered her scrolls, even the Tiaras stopped their advancement. They were watching. "Yuki-kun!"

But Makoto could only clutch at his right eye which was burning as if a branding iron had been thrust into it. Yet he did not scream in pain, only groan in anguish. There was something wrong here. Just as he was to deal what he had meant to be the final blow to the Priestess, an image of an explosion came into mind and screams of terror echoed inside his ears, then a dark looming figure advancing painstakingly slow towards him. It was the same as when he had seen the large Shadow last month.

_Everyone, you only have three minutes until collision!_

Junpei gritted his teeth. They had no time left. For whatever reason, Makoto suddenly broke down in the middle of an attack. It was up to him to finish this. But rather than for the sake of his ego, he needed to get the job done because he sure as hell won't be dying tonight. Their lives were on the line here.

He raised his sword high in both hands and with a battle cry ran towards the Priestess. Yukari realizing what he was doing, nocked an arrow and took down the remaining Tiaras. Seeing this, the Priestess built up a blizzard inside the monorail, significantly lowering the temperature and hindering Junpei from advancing any further. But he tried to force his way in.

Makoto, despite being incapacitated and lying on the floor, reached out a hand to try to stop Junpei's advance. _You can't defeat it_, the blue-haired boy shouted in his head.

Just then, the world became white...

_"Are you lost, boy?"_

_I looked up to see a man in a thick brown cloak speckled with snow, his hood covering much of his face, and a wooden staff in one hand. I turned around to look at my surroundings; all I could see were snow-covered trees. I lowered my head; all I could see was the snow-covered ground. I looked up at the man again._

_"Are you lost, boy?"_

_I nodded._

_"Want me to take you home?"_

_I nodded a second time._

_The man reached out a gloved hand from underneath his cloak and I took it. He then walked forward, and I followed holding on to his hand. It felt cold, even through two layers of cloth, but I held on. Turning my head skywards, I asked the man a question._

_"The blizzard? Hm, I don't know. Just died down I guess. Which is good. Better to find one's way when there's no snow hampering his sight, eh?"_

_He then laughed. A loud hearty laugh._

_"So what was a young'in like you doing out here in a blizzard ne'ways?"_

_I told him._

_"Oh, got separated from your grandparents, you say. Well, tis a good thing I found you or you could have died from hypothermia. D'you know what hypothermia is?"_

_I shook my head._

_"It's one of those newfangled words young'ins use when a person becomes too cold, or something like that."_

_We then walked in silence: the man leading the way with his walking staff, and I following alongside as I held his cold hand. Soon I could see the village where my grandparents and I live. But even without me telling the man my address, he led me down the streets and alleyways until finally, we were in front of my house. I let go of the man's hand._

_"Well now, don't go be getting lost again y'hear?"_

_The wind was starting up as snow came down from the sky. I looked up and saw that the clouds had grown darker and thicker. The blizzard was back._

_"Right then, best I be off now. Stay safe, boy."_

_He crouched down and patted my head, then turned around. I grabbed hold onto the helm of his cloak. He looked over his shoulder at me. I asked his name. He told me. I repeated his name to him. Then he turned around once more and vanished into the blizzard._

_"If you find yerself in trouble a-gain, just call out, ayt?"_

...as snow for a moment.

Makoto, forcing himself into a kneeling position, took out his Evoker and fired.

"Jack Frost!"

Shouting a new name, a different entity manifested itself in front of them. It was a small white thing with limbs wearing a blue jester hat. It was the snow spirit, Jack Frost.

Gaining back the strength to move with the pain in his eye subsiding to a dull throb, Makoto stood up to see, through Jack Frost's eyes, that the Priestess was creating another large projectile of ice. But Jack Frost intervened as he tried nullifying the blizzard inside the train car, just like when he made it disappear all those years ago in the Norwegian mountains.

Junpei, who had also noticed the incomplete ice projectile raised his sword and cut it down as the Priestess still made use of it in an act of desperation - or at least, what Makoto felt like desperation. The baseball cap turned around to see Makoto standing at the back, a Persona that wasn't Orpheus hovering above him. _Damn, show off_, he thought but this time with no animosity as he smirked to himself.

"Oi, Junpei," Makoto called out, now sweating visibly. Junpei look at him in surprise, this was the first time Makoto called him by his first name without an honorific. "Finish it." He pulled his cap down and took out his Evoker as he turned around to face the Priestess again. Makoto then turned to Yukari. "Takeba-san, cover him." Yukari nodded, preparing her bow.

"Hermes!" Junpei shouted as he pulled the trigger. Hermes materialized behind him. And with a smirk, they charged in. Yet, even as the Priestess was busy futily trying to create another blizzard, it was aware enough of the oncoming attack to retaliate with her scroll-like hair. But she was too preoccupied to successfully defend thus Junpei and Hermes managed to get inside and deal double damage.

A loud shriek echoed inside the monorail as the Priestess Shadow disintegrated to nothing.

"Hah! Told you I got this," Junpei called out from the front and giving the rest of the team a thumbs up while he had his back to them. Makoto raised his own thumb as Jack Frost disappeared with a cackle. Only Yukari didn't seem at all pleased.

"Why aren't we stopping!?" she cried as the windows show that the monorail was still speeding towards a collision with another train.

_You're going too fast. You'll have to find the brakes! Quickly!_

And with the sense of urgency returning, all three members of the assault team rushed into the control room. There were levers and dials and buttons everywhere. None of them knew which one was the brake and they all started panicking - except Makoto that is. Seeing that they barely have enough ground before the back end of the other train comes to meet them, he walked towards a red lever to his left and pulled it down.

Outside, sparks flew as the wheels were forced to stop, yet the monorail continued to move forward due to the momentum. The other train came closer. And closer. Even as the one they were in became slower and slower. The shriek of the wheels coming from below them then grew muffled as the monorail finally jerked to a stop just mere inches away from the train in front of it.

Yukari and Junpei, relieved that they were still alive, lost the strength in their knees.

"Thanks, Yuki-kun," Yukari breathed from her sitting position on the floor. "How did you know which one was the brakes?"

"I didn't," Makoto said. Yukari and Junpei jerked their heads upward in shock. "I guess it was a lucky _brake_." Junpei let out another sigh as Yukari groaned.

"I can't believe you could still joke like that," she remarked. "But I'm still grateful. So thanks."

_Is everyone alright?_

"Yeah," Yukari replied. "Thanks to Yuki-kun, we're still alive."

_Thank goodness. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any much help to you. But there's still over five minutes remaining in the Dark Hour. I suggest you all exit the train. You're almost already at Port Island Station anyway. Good job, all of you._

"Well, come on. Up and at 'em," Junpei said as he stood up. "Hey, by the way, Makoto." Makoto looked up as he helped Yukari to her feet. "Thanks for saving us." The baseball cap then started scratching his nose. "But I still think you're an asshole for not telling us about the doors and shit."

"Well, I still think you're an idiot for running off on your own," Makoto replied. "But you go the job done"

"Hah," Junpei laughed as he gave a sheepish smile. "So how 'bout a truce?" He raised a hand to the other guy.

"Okay," the other guy replied, also raising a hand.

And they shook on that truce while Yukari watched, rolling her eyes but smiling.

"Ugh, boys..."

* * *

**AFTERWORD:**

Whew, my longest chapter yet.

I tend not to write long chapters because of my attention span, that's why my chapters are short and episodic - something my Aristotle fanboy of a professor would weep at, I guess. But hey, I somehow had fun with this. The first half came easy enough because it was something new. I only had problems when it came to starting the mission and henceafter; thinking of a way that didn't just copy from the movie. Although I still went by its direction.

So what do you think of the interactions here? How are you finding the characters so far? And Makoto?

Welp, that's that. And please, leave a review or send me a PM if you have the time. Give me your ideas, your thoughts, your suggestions, and... okay, your violent reactions, too. Cheers!

P.S. WHY, PRINCE?! WHY?! You hurt me, man. Truly. T_T


	11. ANNOUNCEMENT

(05.10.17)

kai here.

i know. i died. i'mma save any former reader seeing this now the excuses and just say that i'm trying to pick this up again. and i'm starting that by rewriting the chapters already published. yeah, i could just make a new story and officially kill this one but since i'm still in the process of dying (not literally) that one may end up dead, too. so yeah.

although, maybe i can somewhat assure some people by saying that i already have an outline and summaries up to chapter twenty-seven (regional tournament). that's sixteen more chapters until this could die again (half-joke). there's also a more streamlined social link initiation and progression - hence the rewrite - and have already scheduled them all the way to max rank (except for hermit - since i'm still thinking on how to insert that - and main cast SLs - coz that'll just progress naturally with the plot).

i have to admit. compared to all that, my last attempt was largely make-it-up-as-it-goes. but i cant really say if i'll fare any better now.

be warned, it's been a while since my last literary endeavor - or even wrote anything, english or not - so if the rewrites suck more than the originals then please accept my sincerest of apologies. well, here i go. again.

cheers...


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